CHAPTER 5
Feudalism to Capitalism in England
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Explain the effect of the merchant class on feudal society.
Understand the reasons for the shift from subsistence farming to commercial farming.
OUTLINE OF CHAPTER
I. Economic Institutions Self-Sufficiency and Trade
VI. The Four Features of Capitalism
Economic Institutions
Technology
KEY TERMS
capital
materials, buildings, and equipment used in the production of goods and services
commercial farming
ANSWERS TO END OF CHAPTER REVIEW QUESTIONS
Explain the effect of the merchant class on feudal society.
1. What is the role of merchants in the early Middle Ages?
2. Why did towns become increasingly important in this period? How did this impact
trade?
3. What were some problems for early merchants trying to conduct trade?
Lack of laws governing trade such as contract laws. Serfs did not exchange and did not
Understand the reasons for the shift from subsistence farming to commercial farming.
4. Discuss the reasons for technological stagnation in feudal society.
Feudal society relied on self-sufficiency, and there was no incentive to improve
5. What role did the plagues that swept Europe play in changing the relationship of serfs
and lords?
6. Why did feudal lords slowly lose power over the peasant class?
7. What is the commons and why was it important to the peasants? Why did the lords
enclose the commons? What was the effect of enclosure of the commons on the
peasants?
8. Describe the emergence of a market in land to lease. What impact does this have on
farming?
Peasants wanted fixed rents rather than arbitrary feudal dues and traditional services.
9. How does the change to farming for the market (commercial farming) change the
productivity of farming?
Peasants have to sell enough goods in the market to make money to pay the lease on the
10. Discuss how changes in the productivity of farming impact the growth of cities.
Greater productivity in production of food lowered food prices leaving peasants with
11. Who made up the peasant class in the cities?
Comprehend the connection of the emergence of capitalism and the English Revolution.
12. What are the remnants of feudalism present in the seventeenth century? Why is this a
problem?
The power of the king and court affected economic life through the vast waste of the court
13. Who are the three groups of people important to the English Revolution? Why?
Former peasants, now commercial farmers. Merchants, and small crafts people. These
14. How did the change in relative power of different classes lead to struggle between the
classes?
storeowners.
List and explain the four features of capitalism.
15. Discuss each of the distinguishing features of capitalism in the four institutions.
Economic institutions: Capitalists own the natural resources, plants and equipment of
or be dependent on a man. .
16. Compare and contrast the features of prehistoric communal society, slavery, feudalism
and capitalism. How are they similar and how are they different?
Communal Society
Slave Society
Feudalism
Capitalism
Technology Earliest stone
herding
New stone tools
Iron tools, very
Industrial
Understand the rise and impacts of the Industrial Revolution.
17. What was the first major industry in England? What factors enabled the development of
this industry?
18. How did the institutions of capitalism facilitate the Industrial Revolution?
Capitalist motives of landlords convinced them to enclose their estates producing a
19. What are some of the social costs of the Industrial Revolution?
Wages were so low that entire families sometimes had to work to earn enough to eat.
20. Why did workers attempt to organize unions?
21. Compare and contrast life in England before the Industrial Revolution (c. 1750) to life in
the latter part of the nineteenth century.
The working class lived near the subsistence level in 1750 and their standard of living