Peasants in the 18th Century

Peasants in the 18th Century

When studying 18th century history one will often read about insightful intellects, powerful leaders, or even great military figures, but generally overlooked are the common people. These men, women, and children that make up the peasant society paid the taxes that supported militaries, upheld the land, and, in turn, contributed to history equally to the aforementioned figures. In the 18th century French peasants made up eighty to eighty five percent of the population, yet their presence in the culture is not focused on. The hardships that peasants went through, from poverty to malnutrition and even death, molded the peasant society into a culture of its own.

People with an abundance of wealth and power have been redundantly dominant throughout history. With this domination a social ladder unfolds itself, with the wealthiest and most powerful at the top and the commoners at the bottom. The French commoners of the 18th century, from begging peasants to wealthier peasants, were dominated in every aspect of their life by anyone who felt they were above them. While the monarchy was putting the burden of taxes on their shoulders, the noblemen were raping them of whatever remains they had through obligations and fees. The poverty that followed peasants led them to a life not fit for humans. In Professor Gerhard Rempel's "The 18th Century Town and Its Inhabitants" it shows that in France by the end of the century ten percent of the population were dependent on charity or begging for food for survival (2). In one incident the French authorities attempted to round up vagrants and beggars and incarcerate them for eighteen months, but this accomplished virtually nothing because the problem w...

... middle of paper ...

...ring February to April, temperatures were freezing, which would lead to death by the cold or by starvation. Another statistical view shows the infant and child mortality rate in France during the 17th and 18th centuries vary from 580 to 672 deaths out of every one thousand births, due to sanitation and lack of decent technology (110).

The eighteenth century was a time of revolution in which even poor peasants were given the opportunity to excel and become wealthy, but the struggling peasants at the bottom rarely saw changes, in which their life was a constant battle. These peasants were treated as mere cattle, and therefore went through tremendous hardships and struggle. These men, women, and children faced poverty, malnutrition, and death in their everyday lives. Through these struggles a new culture arose that represented the majority of France.