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The economy and society of the Ancien Régime - Coggle Diagram
The economy and society of the Ancien Régime
ECONOMY
characteristics
the dominance of the guilds
these were associations of craftsmen in the same trade
regulated aspects such as working
wages
prices
tools
hours
domestic trade
grew very little due to
internal customs duties
the poor quality of the roads
foreign trade was expanding due to
the discovery of America
the establishment of new sea routes to Asian markets
These developments led to the establishment of large empires
traditional agriculture
with very low productivity
Agriculture was not commercia
used outdated techniques and tools
people farmed to meet their own needs
During the 17th century
In Europe mercantilism was imposed
was based on the idea that a country's wealth depended on how much gold and silver it possessed
monarchs implemented protectionist policies
to accumulate more of these precious metals
limited imports and encouraged exports by making foreign products very expensive
like that they hoped to keep gold and silver in the country
there was a serious economic crisis in Spain and in most parts of Europe
this was because Americans crops became self-sufficient so like that they stopped buying to
Spanish
Spanish craftsmen could not compete with products made in other countries because the monarch did not protect them
Prices in general increased because much gold and silver was brought to Europe from America
SOCIETY
The estates of the realm
continued to be the dominant form of social organisation
The First and Second Estates
nobility
clergy
maintained their traditional privileges
did not pay taxes
the lesser nobility and the lower clergy were often very poor
maintained their economic power by collecting tithes from the peasants
Third Estate
the ordinary people
had to pay taxes
there were difference between groups inside the third state
The lower middle class or petite bourgeoisie
small merchants
small craftsmen
declined because they could not compete with new forms of production
The peasantry and day labourers
suffered because poor harvests
<rising prices and the higher taxes which they had to pay to the crown, nobility and clergy
The upper middle class or bourgeoisie
merchants
business owners
became richer and more powerful as the European economy developed