Costumes of Slaves or Serfs, from the Sixth to the Twelfth Centuries, collected by H. de Vielcastel, from original Documents in the great Libraries of Europe.

Serfdom refers to the legal and economic status of some peasants under feudalism, specifically in the manorial (also known as seigneurialism) economic system. A serf is a laborer who is bound to the land. Serfs formed the lowest social class of the feudal society. Serfs differed from slaves in that serfs were allowed property for themselves and could not be sold apart from the land which they worked. Serfdom is the forced labour of serfs, on the fields of the privileged land owners, in return for protection and the right to work on their leased fields. Serfdom involved work not only on fields, but various agricultural-related works, like forestry, transportation (both land and river-based), work in craft and even in manufactures. Serfdom evolved from agricultural slavery of Roman Empire and spread through Europe around the 10th century. It was dominant during the Middle Ages of Europe. In England serfdom lasted up to the 1600's, in France until 1789. In most other European countries serfdom lasted until the early 19th century. Download high resolution version (1440x1040, 37 KB)Costumes of Slaves or Serfs, from the Sixth to the Twelfth Centuries, collected by H. de Vielcastel, from original Documents in the great Libraries of Europe. ... Download high resolution version (1440x1040, 37 KB)Costumes of Slaves or Serfs, from the Sixth to the Twelfth Centuries, collected by H. de Vielcastel, from original Documents in the great Libraries of Europe. ... In a detail of Brueghels Land of Cockaigne (1567) a soft-boiled egg has little feet to rush to the luxuriating peasant who catches drops of honey on his tongue, while roast pigs roam wild: the 16th century was a good time for European peasants A peasant, from 15th... Roland pledges his fealty to Charlemagne; from a manuscript of a chanson de geste. ... Generic plan of a mediaeval manor; open-field strip farming, some enclosures, triennial crop rotation, demesne and manse, common woodland, pasturage and meadow Manorialism or Seigneurialism describes the organization of rural economy and society in medieval western and parts of central Europe, characterised by the vesting of legal and economic... Generic plan of a mediaeval manor; open-field strip farming, some enclosures, triennial crop rotation, demesne and manse, common woodland, pasturage and meadow Manorialism or Seigneurialism describes the organization of rural economy and society in medieval western and parts of central Europe, characterised by the vesting of legal and economic... Economy redirects here. ... Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ... Peasants plowing in front of a castle, French manuscript c. ... It has been suggested that Chattel slavery be merged into this article or section. ... // Use of the term The concept of property or ownership has no single or universally accepted definition. ... Unfree labour is a generic or collective term for forms of work, especially in modern or early modern history, in which adults and/or children are employed without wages, or for a minimal wage. ... Manual labor is a term used for physical work done with the hands, especially in an unskilled manual job such as fruit and vegetable picking, road building, or any other field where the work may be considered hard or arduous, which has as its objective the production of goods. ... A decidous beech forest in Slovenia. ... Look up craft in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Manufacturing is the transformation of raw materials into finished goods for sale, or intermediate processes involving the production or finishing of semi-manufactures. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one, leading to various perspectives about Europes borders. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid...

Etymology

Serf is derived from word servus, Latin for "slave." Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ...

Details

All land was owned by various landowners - nobility, Church and monarchs. A serf may be defined as any peasant who holds lands in return for a promise of manual labor. This was a feudal contract much in the same fashion as a baron or a knight (but without the perks). A serf's feudal contract was that, in return for protection he would reside upon and work a parcel of land held by his Lord. The period rationale was that the a serf "worked for all" while a knight or baron "fought for all" and a churchman "prayed for all." Thus everyone had his place and all was right with God's world. Arguably a serf got the short end of the stick, but at least he had his place and, unlike slavery, there was a degree of reciprocity in the feudal contract. A manorial Lord could not sell his serfs as a Roman might sell his slaves. On the other hand, if his Lord chose to dispose of a parcel of land, the serf or serfs associated with that land went with it to serve their new Lord. Further, a serf could not abandon his lands without permission, nor could he sell them. The Lords and Barons prove their Nobility by hanging their Banners and exposing their Coats-of-arms at the door of the Lodge of the Heralds. ... // Origins of Christian places of worship The architecture of Christian worship space grew out of the regular meetings of the followers of Christianity in private houses (see 1 Cor. ... Look up monarch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

A free man became a serf usually through force or necessity. A few bad years or crop failure, a war or brigandage left him unable to fulfill his duties as a free man. In such a case a bargain is struck with his lord: protection and forgiveness of fees owed in exchange for service (not an unreasonable arrangement in a largely cashless society and an idea which is in accord with the prevailing feudal political ideology). The downside was that serfdom was heritable. A man was binding not only himself, but all his heirs as well: this, of course, was not true of a free man. Look up Free in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Free is an English language adjective, verb, and adverb. ... Look up Free in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Free is an English language adjective, verb, and adverb. ... Look up Free in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Free is an English language adjective, verb, and adverb. ...

The line between freedom and serfdom was often indistinct. A man might own some lands under free tenancy (for instance: a "cottier" or "cotter" was a free man, tenant of a "cottage"); others might owe serf-like duties. It was always in the interest of the lords to prove that a servile arrangement existed as this provided them with greater rights to fees and taxes. The legal status of a man was a primary issue in many of the manorial court cases of the period. A cotter, or cottar, is a peasant farmer formerly in the Scottish Highlands. ... 19th century Cottages in the small hamlet of Crafton, Buckinghamshire In modern usage, a cottage is a dwelling, typically in a non-urban location (although there are cottage-style dwellings in cities). ...

The usual serf "paid" his fees and taxes in the form of seasonally appropriate labor, usually a couple of days a week ploughing his lord's fields (demesne), harvesting crops, digging ditches, repairing fences, etc. The rest of his time was his own to tend to his own fields, crops and animals. The tension of a serf's life derived from the fact that his work for his lord coincided and took precedence over the work he had to perform on his own lands. When the lord's crops were ready to be harvested, so were his own and so forth. On the other hand, he could look forward to being well fed during his service and it was a poor lord who did not provide a substantial meal for his serfs during the harvest and planting times. The feudal concept of demesne is a form of manorial land tenure as conceived in Western Europe, initially in France but exported to England, during the Middle Ages. ...

In addition to service a serf was required to pay certain taxes and fees. Taxes were based on the assessed value of his lands and holdings (usually 1/3 of the value; the "third penny"), while fees were assessed for various reasons, the birth of a child, a marriage, war, etc. Both were usually paid in the form of foodstuffs rather than cash (often there were rather humorous tests -- at least in retrospect -- to judge the worthiness of their tax payments. A chicken, for example, was required to be able to jump over a fence of a given height to be considered old enough or well enough to be valued for tax purposes).

In the end, the nature of serfdom began to change when the value of taxes paid in kind began to be less than the value of outright renting of the land. In such cases many Lords "freed" their serfs in exchange for cash rents rather than service. In practice, little changed for the peasants. They still had to farm their lands to feed their families, and pay their taxes. The main difference was that they could be turned off their lands if they failed to pay or if their Lord decided he wanted to use their fields for raising sheep (for example) rather than corn. The change in status following the enclosure movements beginning in the later 13th century, in which various lords abandoned the open field farming of previous centuries in exchange for, essentially, taking all the best land for themselves and "freeing" their serfs, may well have made serfdom a lifestyle desperately to be wished for by many peasant families. It is truly said that a slave must be fed, while a free man is free to starve.

A serf was a peasant. While most serfs were farmers, some serfs were craftsman - like the village blacksmith, miller or innkeeper. In a detail of Brueghels Land of Cockaigne (1567) a soft-boiled egg has little feet to rush to the luxuriating peasant who catches drops of honey on his tongue, while roast pigs roam wild: the 16th century was a good time for European peasants A peasant, from 15th... Farmer spreading grasshopper bait in his alfalfa field. ... Craftsman is an artisan who practices a handicraft or trade; a style of architecture and furniture arising from the Arts and Crafts movement; a military rank within the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, equivalent to a private; and ... A blacksmith A blacksmith at work A blacksmith at work A blacksmiths fire Hot metal work from a blacksmith A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from iron or steel by forging the metal; i. ... The term mill, depending on context, can refer to: Mill (factory) – a place of business for making articles of manufacture; e. ... Inns are establishments where travellers can procure food, drink, and lodging. ...

Within these constraints, a serf had some freedom. Though the common wisdom was that a serf owned "only his belly" (even his clothes were the property, in law, of his lord) an industrious or lucky serf might still accumulate personal property and wealth, and some serfs became wealthier than their free neighbours - although this was rather an exception to the general rule. A well-to-do serf might even be able to buy his freedom. Serfs could raise what they saw fit on their lands (within reason -- a serf's taxes often had to be paid in wheat, a notoriously difficult crop), and sell the surplus at market. Their heirs were (usually) guaranteed an inheritance. The landlord could not dispossess his serfs without cause and was supposed to protect them from the depredations of outlaws or other lords, and he was expected to support them by charity in times of famine. The restraints of serfdom on personal and economic choice were enforced through various forms of manorial common law and the manorial administration and court. A physical marketplace in Portugal enables buyers and sellers of produce to do business with each other. ... Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, and obligations upon the death of an individual. ... For the area of Sheffield, in England, see Manor, Sheffield. ...

Specifics of serfdom varied greatly through time and region. In some places, serfdom was merged with or exchanged for various forms of taxation. The amount of serfdom required varied, for example in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 13th century it was few days a year; in the 14th century, one day per week; 4 days per week in the 17th century and 6 days per week in the 18th century, and early serfdom was most limited on the royal territories (królewszczyzny). Sometimes, serfs served as soldiers in the event of conflict and could earn freedom or even ennoblement for valour in combat. In other cases, serfs could also purchase their freedom, be manumitted by their enlightened or generous owners, or flee to towns or newly-settled land where few questions were asked. Laws varied from country to country: in England a serf who made his way to a chartered town and evaded recapture for a year and a day obtained his freedom. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Crown land is a designated land belonging to the Crown, the equivalent of an entailed estate that passed with the monarchy and could not be alienated from it. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Manumission is the act of freeing a slave, done at the will of the owner. ...

In many cases, serfs had to obtain permission from their landlord to marry a partner from off the manor (merchet). They could also be obliged to pay fines: on inheritance, on becoming a priest or monk or on having their children leave the manor and go to cities. Even upon their death a peasant paid a tax in the form of their best animal to their lord in exchange for confirming their heir's rights to the land. Furthermore, serfs had to pay to use the lord’s grain mill and bread oven and were charged for miscellaneous services such as using the lord’s carts to haul their produce. This was a great bone of contention within the village. Many peasants were fined for grinding their own grain and resented the fees paid to the miller (multure), usually 1/24 of the total grain milled. Millers were routinely accused of providing short measure or taking too great a portion for their fee. A period riddle runs, "What is the boldest thing on earth?" The answer is, "A miller's shirt for it clasps a thief by the throat every day." Many manors also required the use of the lord's oven to bake their daily bread. Such petty fees and usuries were the basis of much class resentment among peasants. A Merchet is a fine paid during the Middle Ages in England, on a marriage. ...

History of serfdom

Social institutions similar to serfdom were known in ancient times. The status of the helots in the ancient Greek city-state of Sparta resembled that of the medieval serfs, as did the condition of the peasants working on government lands in ancient Rome. These Roman peasants, known as coloni, or "tenant farmers", are some of the possible precursors of the serfs. The Germanic tribes invading the Roman Empire for the most part displaced wealthy Romans as the landlords but left the economic system itself intact. However, medieval serfdom really began with the breakup of the Carolingian Empire around the 10th century. The demise of this empire, which had ruled much of the western Europe for more than 200 years, was followed by a long period during which no strong central governments existed in most of Europe. During this period powerful feudal lords encouraged the establishment of serfdom as a source of agricultural labor. Serfdom, indeed, was an institution that reflected a fairly common practice whereby great landlords were assured that others work to feed them and are held down, legally and economically, while doing so. This arrangement provided most of the agricultural labor throughout the Middle Ages. Slavery persisted right through the Middle Ages, but it was rare, diminishing and largely confined to the use of household slaves. Parts of Europe, including much of Scandinavia, never adopted many feudal institutions, including serfdom. Ancient history is the study of significant cultural and political events from the beginning of human history until the Early Middle Ages. ... Helots were Peloponnesian Greeks who were enslaved under Spartan rule. ... Ancient Greece is the period of Greek history spanning much of the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins and lasting for close to a millennium, until the rise of Christianity. ... A city-state is a region controlled exclusively by a city. ... Sparta (Doric: Σπάρτα, Attic (and Koine): Σπάρτη) was a state in ancient Greece, whose territory included, in Classical times, all Laconia and Messenia, and which was the most powerful state of the Peloponnesus. ... The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ... A colonus was a type of Roman peasant farmer. ... The term Germanic tribes (or Teutonic tribes) applies to the ancient Germanic peoples of Europe. ... For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... Economy redirects here. ... Map of Carolingian Empire The term Carolingian Empire is sometimes used to refer to the realm of the Franks under the dynasty of the Carolingians. ... Roland pledges his fealty to Charlemagne; from a manuscript of a chanson de geste. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe named after the Scandinavian Peninsula. ...

In the later Middle Ages serfdom began to disappear west of the Rhine even as it spread through eastern Europe. This was one important cause for the deep differences between the societies and economies of eastern and western Europe. Loreley At 1,320 kilometres (820 miles) and an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second, the Rhine (German Rhein, French Rhin, Dutch Rijn, Romansch: Rein, Italian: Reno) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe. ...

In Western Europe, the rise of powerful monarchs, towns, and an improving economy weakened the manorial system through the 13th and 14th centuries, and serfdom was rare following the Renaissance. Serfdom in Western Europe came largely to an end in the 15th and 16th centuries, because of changes in the economy, population, and laws governing lord-tenant relations in Western European nations. The enclosure of manor fields for livestock grazing and for larger arable plots made the economy of serfs’ small strips of land in open fields less attractive to the landowners. Also, the increasing use of money made tenant farming by serfs less profitable; for much less than it cost to support a serf, a lord could now hire workers who were more skilled and pay them in cash. Paid labor was also more flexible since workers could be hired only when they were needed. At the same time, increasing unrest and uprisings by serfs and peasants, like Tyler’s Rebellion in England in 1381, put pressure on the nobility and the clergy to reform the system. As a result serf and peasant demands were accommodated to some extent by the gradual establishment of new forms of leasing the land and increased personal liberties. Another important factor in the decline of serfdom was industrial development - especially the Industrial Revolution. With the growing profitabilty of industry farmers wanted to move to towns to receive higher wages than those they could earn working in the fields, while landowners also invested in the more profitable industry. This also led to the growing process of urbanization. A common understanding of Western Europe in modern times. ... Look up monarch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Generic plan of a mediaeval manor; open-field strip farming, some enclosures, triennial crop rotation, demesne and manse, common woodland, pasturage and meadow Manorialism or Seigneurialism describes the organization of rural economy and society in medieval western and parts of central Europe, characterised by the vesting of legal and economic... In the traditional view, the Renaissance is understood as an historical age that was preceded by the Middle Ages and followed by the Reformation. ... An example of Money. ... The end of the revolt: Wat Tyler killed by Walworth while Richard II watches, and a second image of Richard addressing the crowd The Peasants Revolt, Tyler’s Rebellion or Great Rising of 1381 was one of a number of popular revolts in late medieval Europe and is a major... A Watt steam engine in Madrid. ...

Grain pays

Serfdom reached Eastern European countries relatively later than Western Europe—it became dominant around the 15th century. Before that time Eastern Europe had been much less populated than Western Europe, and the lords of Eastern Europe created a peasantry-friendly environment to encourage migration east^{[citation needed]}. Serfdom developed in Eastern Europe after the Black Death epidemics, which not only stopped the migration but depopulated Eastern Europe. The resulting large land-to-labor ratio combined with Eastern Europe's vast, sparsely populated areas gave the lords an incentive to bind the remaining peasantry to their land. With increased demand for agricultural products in Western Europe during the later era when Western Europe limited and eventually abolished serfdom, serfdom remained in force throughout Eastern Europe during the 17th century so that nobility-owned estates could produce more agricultural products (especially grain) for the profitable export market. Such Eastern European countries include Prussia (Prussian Ordinances of 1525), Austria, Hungary (laws of late 15th/early 16th century), the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (szlachta privileges of early 16th century) and the Russian Empire (laws of late 16th/first half of 17th century). Image File history File links Zboze_Placi. ... Image File history File links Zboze_Placi. ... Current division of Europe into five (or more) regions: one definition of Eastern Europe is marked in orange Eastern Europe as a region has several alternative definitions, whereby it can denote: the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Central Europe and Russia. ... Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenburg Bible (1411). ... The Lords and Barons prove their Nobility by hanging their Banners and exposing their Coats-of-arms at the door of the Lodge of the Heralds. ... This article is about grains in general. ... Flag of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1894-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Old Prussian: PrÅ«sa; Polish: ) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had substantial influence on German and European history. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Polish szlachcic. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start...

Grain doesn't pay. Those two pictures illustrate the notion that agriculture, once extremly profitable to the nobles (szlachta) in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, became much less profitable from the second half of 17th century onwards

This also led to the slower industry development and urbanisation of those regions. Generally, this process, referred to as 'second serfdom' or 'export-led serfdom', which persisted until the mid-19th century, became very repressive and substantially limited serfs' rights. In many of these countries serfdom was abolished during the Napoleonic invasions of the early nineteenth century. Serfdom remained the practice on the most part of territory of Russia until February 19, 1861, though in Russian Baltic provinces it has been abolished in the beginning of 19th century (Russian Serfdom Reforms). Russian serfdom was perhaps the most unique among the Eastern European experiences, as it was never influenced by German law and migrations, and the serfdom and manorialism systems were forced by the crown (Tsar), not the nobility. Image File history File links Zboze_Nie_Placi. ... Image File history File links Zboze_Nie_Placi. ... Combatants Allies: • Great Britain/United Kingdom, • Prussia, • Austria, • Sweden, • Russia • France • Denmark-Norway • Poland Casualties Full list Full list The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars fought during Napoleon Bonapartes rule over France. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Economic development The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were times of crisis for Russia. ... The origins of serfdom in Russia are traced to Kievan Rus in the 11th century. ... Generic plan of a mediaeval manor; open-field strip farming, some enclosures, triennial crop rotation, demesne and manse, common woodland, pasturage and meadow Manorialism or Seigneurialism describes the organization of rural economy and society in medieval western and parts of central Europe, characterised by the vesting of legal and economic... Look up Tsar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary For the US community of Czar, see Czar, West Virginia. ...

Dates of emancipation from serfdom in various European countries

• Savoy: 19 December 1771
• Baden: 23 July 1783
• Denmark: 20 June 1788
• France: 3 November 1789
• Switzerland: 4 May 1798
• Schleswig-Holstein: 19 December 1804
• Grand Duchy of Warsaw (Poland): 22 July 1807
• Prussia: 9 October 1807 (effectively 1811-1823)
• Mecklenberg: October 1807 (effectively 1820)
• Bavaria: 31 August 1808
• Nassau: 1 September 1812
• Estonia (Russian Empire): 23 March 1816
• Courland (Russian Empire): 25 August 1817
• Württemberg: 18 November 1817
• Livonia (Russian Empire): 26 March 1819
• Hannover: 1831
• Saxony: 17 March 1832
• Austria: 7 September 1848
• Hungary: 2 March 1853
• Bulgaria: 1858 (when feudalism was definitely abolished in the Ottoman Empire; practically in 1880)
• Russia: 19 February 1861
• Danubian Principalities (Romania): 14 August 1864
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: 1918

This article is about the historical region of Savoy. ... For other uses, see Baden (disambiguation). ... Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the 16 Bundesländer in Germany. ... Location Official languages Polish Established church Roman Catholic Capital Warsaw Largest City Warsaw Head of state Duke of Warsaw Area about 158,000 km² Population about 3 million Existed 1807 - 1814 The Duchy of Warsaw (Polish: Księstwo Warszawskie, Latin: Ducatus Varsoviae, French: Duche de Varsovie) was a Polish state established... Flag of the Kingdom of Prussia, 1894-1918 Prussia (German: ; Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Lithuanian: ; Old Prussian: PrÅ«sa; Polish: ) was, most recently, a historic state originating in East Prussia, an area which for centuries had substantial influence on German and European history. ... Mecklenburg, located in Northern Germany, was a duchy within the Holy Roman Empire, then divided, and after 1815 two Grand Duchies, then a state, and now part of the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. ... The Free State of Bavaria  (German: Freistaat Bayern), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... coat of arms of Courland Courland (Latvian: Kurzeme, German: Kurland, Polish: Kurlandia, Latin: Curonia / Couronia) is a historical Baltic province now part of Latvia. ... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... Württemberg (often spelled Wurttemberg in English) refers to an area and a former state in Swabia, a region in south-western Germany. ... Livonia (Latvian: Livonija; Estonian: Liivimaa; German: Livland; Swedish: Livland; Polish: Inflanty; Russian: Лифляндия or Lifljandija) once was the land of the Finnic Livonians, but came in the Middle Ages to designate a much broader territory controlled by the Livonian Order on the eastern coasts of the Baltic Sea in present-day... Imperial Russia is the term used to cover the period of Russian history from the expansion of Russia under Peter the Great, through the expansion of the Russian Empire from the Baltic to the Pacific Ocean, to the deposal of Nicholas II of Russia, the last tsar, at the start... -1... The Free State of Saxony (German: Freistaat Sachsen; Sorbian: Swobodny Stata Sakska) is at a land area of 18,413 km² and a population of 4. ... Roland pledges his fealty to Charlemagne; from a manuscript of a chanson de geste. ... Imperial motto (Ottoman Turkish) دولت ابد مدت Devlet-i Ebed-müddet (The Eternal State) The Ottoman Empire at the height of its power (1683) Official language Ottoman Turkish Capital Söğüt (1299-1326), Bursa (1326-1365), Edirne (1365-1453), Ä°stanbul (1453-1922) Imperial anthem Ottoman imperial anthem Sovereigns Padishah of the Osmanl...

Return of Serfdom

Critics of planned economies, especially those based on Soviet-style Communist economics, have argued that centrally-planned economies, such as the Soviet collective farm system, amount to a return to government-owned serfdom. This view was put most powerfully by Friedrich Hayek in the classic Road to Serfdom as early as 1944 and has since been adopted by others including Mikhael Gorbachev. In all Communist countries, farmers were tied to their farms, either kolkhoz which were theoretically collectives, or sovkhoz which were state-owned, through a system of internal passports and household registration (such as China's hukou system). They had to plant crops according to instructions from the central authorities, especially if they were on state-run farms. These authorities would then "buy" their agricultural produce at vastly reduced prices and use the surplus to invest in heavy industry.^{[citation needed]} Soviet redirects here. ... Communism - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ... Collective farming is an organizational unit in agriculture in which peasants are not paid wages, but rather receive a share of the farms net output. ... Friedrich Hayek Friedrich August von Hayek (May 8, 1899 in Vienna – March 23, 1992 in Freiburg) was an Austrian economist and political philosopher, noted for his defense of liberal democracy and free-market capitalism against socialist and collectivist thought in the mid-20th century. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... A kolkhoz (Russian: ), plural kolkhozy, was a form of collective farming in the Soviet Union that existed along with state farms (sovkhoz). ... A sovkhoz (Russian language: Совхоз, Советское хозяйство, sovetskoe khoziaistvo), typically translated as state farm, is a Soviet state-owned farm, in contrast with kolkhoz, which is a collective-owned farm. ... An internal passport is an identification document issued in some countries. ... A hukou (Chinese: ) is a residency permit issued in the Peoples Republic of China which officially identifies a person as a resident of an area. ... Heavy industry does not have a single fixed meaning compared to light industry. ...

See also

• indentured servant
• farm
• fiefdom
• folwark
• freeholder
• hacienda
• kolhoz
• Russian serfdom
• Shoen - Japanese serfdom
• yeoman

An indentured servant is a labourer under contract (an indenture--explained below) to work (for a specified amount of time) for another person or a company/corporation, often without any monetary pay, but in exchange for accommodation, food, other essentials, training, or passage to a new country. ... Bales of hay on a farm near Ames, Iowa A farm is the basic unit in agriculture. ... Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud or fee, often consisted of heritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord in return for a form of allegiance, originally often to give him the means to fulfill his military duties when called upon. ... Folwark was a giant agricultural farm functioning in Poland from 14th century till 20th century, whose goal was to produce surplus produce for export. ... Freehold is a term used in real estate or real property law, land held in fee simple, as opposed to leasehold, which is land which is leased. ... Hacienda is a Spanish word describing a vast ranch, common in the Pampa. ... A kolkhoz (Russian: колхо́з) was a form of collective farming in the Soviet Union that existed along with state farms or sovkhozes. ... The origins of serfdom in Russia are traced to Kievan Rus in the 11th century. ... A shōen (荘園 or 庄園, shōen) was a fief or manor in Japan. ... It has been suggested that Yeoman Farmer be merged into this article or section. ...

External links

• An extraction from the book "Serfdom to Self-Government: Memoirs of a Polish Village Mayor, 1842-1927"
• The Granary of Europe - serfdom in Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
• The Causes of Slavery or Serfdom: A Hypothesis, discussion and full online text of Evsey Domar (1970), "The Causes of Slavery or Serfdom: A Hypothesis," Economic History Review 30:1 (March), pp. 18-32
• The Estabilishment of Serfdom in Eastern Europe and Russia, Richard Trethewey, American Economist, Spring 1974, Vol. 18 Issue 1
• Serfdom
• SERFS UP!

Richard Trethewey Richard Trethewey, born in Dedham, Massachusetts, is the master plumber and HVAC technician on the television shows This Old House and Ask This Old House. ...

References

• War Communism to the NEP: The Road from Serfdom
• Gorbachev's BBC Interview
• Hayek, Friedrich A. von, The Road to Serfdom, London: Routledge, 2001. ISBN 0415255430