European Society in the Eighteenth Century
One feature that defined European society in the 18th century was rapid population growth. This growth during the 18th century can be attributed to a number of factors:
1) Fewer wars and epidemics
2) Improved hygiene and sanitation reduced serious illnesses
3) Improved food supply due to advances in agriculture
This rise in population had some side effects. There was an increased demand for such things as food, jobs, goods and services. A population shift also occurred during this time. Previous centuries saw most of the population living in small rural communities. During the 18th century, the population grew to the point where the land could no longer sustain the population which was forced to migrate to towns and cities. This population explosion also created a larger group of people who were socially and politically discontent with the present system that had been in place for many centuries.
Agricultural Revolution
Most people in the 18th century lived in small rural areas and worked the land to survive. During this time many changes were made to agriculture. People began to use the climate of the area to determine what grew best in what areas. Land owners also altered how they used their land. Use of crop rotation and fertilizers did little to improve crop yields. During the course of the 18th century, land use moved away from small strips of land farmed by peasants to more commercial practices. At this same time new agricultural tools such as the steel plow and the seed drill began to be more widely used. By using certain fertilizers, new crops were grown in the sandier soils. New systems of crop rotations made sure all land was used instead of laying fallow for some seasons. This new crop rotation greatly improved crop yields and provided more food for humans and animals. This Agricultural Revolution began in the Netherlands and England but quickly spread throughout Europe.
These agricultural innovations did have some unexpected side-effects. Many landowners now wanted to gain more profit from their lands than could be gained from peasant farming. Instead, farmers evicted peasants and consolidated the smaller strips into large fenced-in estates. These larger fields were farmed using more efficient and profitable methods increasing owner profits. This movement by landowners is known as enclosure. Unfortunately, although more food was created it was sold on the open market which the displaced peasant could not afford. This resulted in many riots and caused a lot of social/economic strife in the rural areas.
The Agricultural Revolution and enclosure were commonly used in England and the Netherlands. Countries like Russia, Prussia, Austria and Poland choose to work the serfs harder to increase food production.