Demographic Changes in Eighteenth-Century Europe

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Demographic Changes in Eighteenth-Century Europe

• AP European History
• Unit 4

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Schedule

• Thursday, Friday Social and Cultural Changes of
  the 18th century
• Monday Review Unit 4
• Tuesday Review Packet Due (receive in class on
  Monday)
• Wednesday Introduction to French Revolution
• Thursday Introduction to French Revolution
  (Causes)
• Friday Quiz Unit 4 (Multiple Choice)

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The Agricultural Revolution

• Agriculture in 1700
• Same SOL as Middle Ages
• 80 of west Europeans were farmers
• Low output
• Open-Field System
• Heavy taxation of peasants

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Features of Agricultural Revolution

• Increased production of food
• New methods of cultivation
• Selective breeding of livestock
• Science and technology applied to agriculture

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Agricultural Revolution in England

• 1700-1870 triple crop yields
• Crop rotation (Charles Townsend)
• Seed drill use of horses for plowing (Jethro
  Tull)
• Selective breeding of livestock (Robert
  Blackwell)
• Enclosure Movement

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The Enclosure Movement

• Began in 16th century
• Ends open-field system
• Fence fields and common pasture lands
• Increased commercialization of agriculture
• Invest in new technology
• Growth of large farms in England
• Corn Laws (1815)

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Causes of the Population Explosion

• Agricultural Revolution
• New foods become staple crops
• Improved food transportation
• Better diet stronger immune systems
• No more bubonic plague (after 1720)
• Improved sanitation
• Wars less destructive
• Smallpox Vaccination (late 18th century)

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Population Explosion

• Diets in Western Europe
• Influence of the Columbian Exchange
• Potato provided Vitamins A and C average Irish
  male ate 8-10 pounds of potato a day
• English have the best diets

• 1650-1750 population plateau
• After 1750 dramatic growth
• 1700-1800 population grows from 120 million to
  190 million

• Medical improvements
• End of bubonic plague
• Lady Mary Montagu original idea of vaccinations
• Edward Jenner foundation for science of
  immunology for vaccine for smallpox
• Smallpox
• 17th c. 25 of deaths in England
• 18th c 60 million die
• 400,000/year on average
• 80 of Europeans contracted it and were scarred
  for life

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Other Demographic Features of 18th Century Europe

• Atlantic Slave Trade
• Loss of population after American Revolution
  (approximately 2.5 million)
• Increased life expectancy
• Improved public health techniques
• Early 18th century older marriage ages
• Late 18th century earlier marriage ages
• Increased of illegitimate births