The Agricultural Revolution & European Expansion 1650-1850

1. The Agricultural Revolution & European Expansion1650-1850 Chapter 19

2. Early Agricultural Problems • Europe was mostly agrarian • Bad harvests due to famine/weather could destroy a family and their income; often led to death • Families did not often have enough food in reserve • Diseases like dysentery ravaged villages • Fields would not produce a large crop yield after a few years

3. Early Agricultural Advancements • Open-field system was soon developed • All members of a community would be given a strip of land to farm. • Common land was also allocated to allow animals to graze • Crops would not produce a desirable yield after a few years due to lack of nitrogen in the soil • Crop rotation was soon developed= planting and moving crops to different areas of the field and allowing areas to go “fallow” (unplanted) • These farming advancements did help to produce more food, but not significantly

4. Enclosure Movement • Large landowners soon began forcing the peasants to give up their small strips of land and “enclosed” the land • Motivation was the obvious increase in crop production due to rotation techniques • Believed even larger chunks of land could be more profitable • Could prevent the spread of crop disease • Passed laws to make this happen • Peasants were kicked off the common land, were forced to give up their open-field land, and they had to pay the large landowners rent to farm the land they once owned!

5. Technological Boom • The Low Countries (Holland or the Netherlands) led the way in agricultural advancements • They knew how to drain swampy land • Enclosed fields & practiced crop rotation • Use manure to fertilize fields • Plant nitrogen-producing crops like beans • Taught England to do the same (Vermuyden)

6. More Advancements • JethroTull (1674-1741) • Invented the seed drill • Drilled seeds into the ground as opposed to scattering them. Higher crop yield. • Robert Bakewell (1725-1795) • Focused on selective breeding or breeding the best livestock. • Led to better milk-producing animals and work animals

7. Selective Breeding

8. Population Boom • Obviously, better food production led to a lower death rate after 1750 • Improved immune systems • Decline of diseases and warfare also played a factor • Many saw the population boom as potentially scary • Thomas Malthus believed that God allowed horrible events to happen to check the population

9. Cottage Industry • Population boom led to more rural peasants who needed work • Putting-out system soon developed • Business owners would employ households to complete the steps necessary in processing an item (i.e. wool) • Finished products would be sold at cities and markets • Textiles were the commonly produced item using John Kay’s Flying Shuttle • Cloth-making industry • There were quality control problems due to procrastination

10. The Atlantic Economy • As population grew, so did the demand for products. • Countries sought overseas colonies to meet these needs- mercantilism • Overseas conflicts led to changes in ownership of colonies in the later 18th c. • Dutch lost “New Amsterdam” to the British- renamed “New York” • 7 Years’ War- Britain won French land in N.A. • Britain controlled the slave trade

11. Mercantilism • Trade was supposed to be controlled by the government and benefit the mother country • Navigation Acts • Passed by the British • All imported goods needed to be carried on British ships • The British backed the private companies in colonization- British East India Company

12. Adam Smith • Associated with the idea of Capitalism • Free market with competition • Laissez faire philosopher- leave business alone • Wrote the Wealth of Nations • Criticized mercantilism because he felt there was too much government involvement

13. Slavery • Slavery became an important factor in the trade industry of the time period • Indentured servants • African slaves • African slaves were 1/5 of the population in North America • Production skyrocketed • Triangular trade= slaves/production/sell