18th Century: Expansion of Europe
Chapter 19: The Expansion of Europe in the 18th Century
Agriculture and the land
1) Complete this statement about the common people, “life remained a struggle with poverty and uncertainty with the landlord and the tax collector.
2) What was the basic problem of ordinary men and women in 1700 in Europe?
• Living standards were poor: The common man were poor and worked long and hard hours in poverty. There was a lack of warm clothing, housing, and good food. Yields for all of the farming were alarmingly low. At times, harvests failed completely. When there was a famine, people turned to whatever source of nutrients there was.
• The previous wars hurt the peasantry. For example, the religious wars in Germany destroyed the soil of the land.
3) How does a gradual change begin to take place in Europe as the 18th c unfolds?
• Europe began to expand: Population started expanding and the colonies of European powers grew.
• The seeds of the Industrial Revolution were planted in the 18th century.
4) Describe the economy of Europe at the end of the 1700s. Use some numbers given in your textbook to illustrate the precarious position of the common people.
• The economy was largely agrarian with people “living off the land.”
• The poor lived in poverty and turned to famine foods during times of crisis. In such times of crisis many died. A county in Finland lost 28 percent of its population due to a famine from 1696-1697.
The Open-field System
5) Explain the medieval “open field” system:
• The land was divided into large, unfenced plots in an open-field system. Peasants would farm each field as a group.
• A common land was set aside for the village’s animals to graze in. After the harvest, these animals would eat the stubble of the fields. Some of the very poor women would also participate in this post-harvest gathering.
6) What problems did
Agriculture and the land
1) Complete this statement about the common people, “life remained a struggle with poverty and uncertainty with the landlord and the tax collector.
2) What was the basic problem of ordinary men and women in 1700 in Europe?
• Living standards were poor: The common man were poor and worked long and hard hours in poverty. There was a lack of warm clothing, housing, and good food. Yields for all of the farming were alarmingly low. At times, harvests failed completely. When there was a famine, people turned to whatever source of nutrients there was.
• The previous wars hurt the peasantry. For example, the religious wars in Germany destroyed the soil of the land.
3) How does a gradual change begin to take place in Europe as the 18th c unfolds?
• Europe began to expand: Population started expanding and the colonies of European powers grew.
• The seeds of the Industrial Revolution were planted in the 18th century.
4) Describe the economy of Europe at the end of the 1700s. Use some numbers given in your textbook to illustrate the precarious position of the common people.
• The economy was largely agrarian with people “living off the land.”
• The poor lived in poverty and turned to famine foods during times of crisis. In such times of crisis many died. A county in Finland lost 28 percent of its population due to a famine from 1696-1697.
The Open-field System
5) Explain the medieval “open field” system:
• The land was divided into large, unfenced plots in an open-field system. Peasants would farm each field as a group.
• A common land was set aside for the village’s animals to graze in. After the harvest, these animals would eat the stubble of the fields. Some of the very poor women would also participate in this post-harvest gathering.
6) What problems did