The French Revolution: The Old Regime

Eighteenth century Europe saw a dramatic shift in innovations called the agricultural revolution. As a farmer in eighteenth- century Europe, some of the concerns would be the stability of the food supply, the outcome of the new crops, rises in prices, and new farming methods in place. The French Revolution brought many social, political, and especially economical changes to the society; this time period was called the Old Regime. During this time, France faced food shortages and the predominance of agriculture. Usually, the people who lived on the land were poor and they faced difficult lives. Europe’s food supply stability depended greatly on the peasant society. The outcome of the society as a whole depended on the amount of food that is harvested each season. For those living …show more content…
These peasants included English tenants, French cultivators, and serfs for Germany, Austria, and Russia. French peasants could own some land and were forced to labor for their lord each year. French peasants did not have enough to support themselves and families. Most of the time, they had feudal dues that makes them have to be attached to their landowners that they rent land from. Russian serfs faced the worst conditions. They were considered commodities to the landlord rather than the land. The landlords could require as many workdays during the week from their serfs, and could be exiled to Serbia. A difference for Russian serfs was that they could married and be legally recognized. As with anyone under pressure, there was a great deal of revolts in the peasants and serfs population. The largest revolt was the Pugachev’s revolt. Usually, the revolts were conservative in nature and were usually to seek customary rights. In conclusion, eighteenth century Europe was not a great time for European peasants and serfs. They were the ones who faced the worst conditions, though they are the ones that have the hardest