Social Structure is the composition, functions, and interrelationships of social classes.

They tend to change very slowly, so they are hard to identify with any one

particular time period.

The following effects caused the social structure of Europe to remain almost the same from the 16th Century until the early 20th Century:

•Commercial Revolution

•Population Growth

•Falling Value of Money

The Social Classes were:

2.Landed Aristocracy

3.Middle Class

4.Peasantry (agricultural workers)

5.Urban Poor

1. Landed Aristocracy

Former nobles (middle ages)

More concerned with civilian affairs (because much of their income was tied to it)

More concerned about the education of their children

Wide range from small gentry to great peers of England

Some led life of leisure while others worked in high places within gov’t

Ancestry was a badge of status (could actually be very poor)

Claimed they deserved special privileges because they contributed to kings or government.

2. Middle Class

Bourgeois (French) or Burgher (English)

Bourgeoisie (the entire class) originally meant person living in a town and enjoying its “liberties” (NOT Marx’s conception)

Often times the lines between Aristocracy and Middle class blurred when it came to work/money; however, title was the big divider

Grew very quickly

Urban elite on top

Included: merchants, bankers, lawyers, doctors, clergy, trade guilds, tanners, retail shop keepers, innkeepers

Even though all from the same class, they had varying status levels within the class

3. Peasantry (agricultural workers)

Two types

A. Peasants who owned bits of land: benefited from in prices if they had a contract for a fixed price to lord.

B. Peasants who did not own land: life got much worse – could afford changes in price

England – Yeomanry: small free holding class between gentry and rural poor

4. Urban PoorMass of population in all countries

Included: unskilled, unemployed, paupers, and unemployable

Unable to read or write

Some attempt to help the poor (English Poor Laws of 1601)

Wages rose less than prices = ed

Life much worse for this class than in years past because of the advances of the other classes during this time.

Demand for an educated clergy – WHY?

Demand for literate clerks and agents – WHY?

Demand for nobles and middle class who were able to cooperate in large organizations, understand finance, and keep records – WHY?

Demand for Lawyers – WHY?

Results in Education Reform

•England – “grammar schools”

•France – “colleges”

•Girls – sporadic provisions (mostly convents by Ursuline sisters)

•Boys (even from poor family) good chance to get an education

•Widespread growth of universities run by religious (Jesuits…)

Eastern Europe

•All the factors that helped in Western Europe worked against peasantry in Eastern Europe

•Peasantry sank into serfdom

•Most peasants lost any land they owned

•Robot – (Bohemia) peasants owed 3-4 days a week to lord in forced labor. Many times more because gov’t was not centralized and lord had final say in most matters.

•Could not leave manor, marry or learn a trade without lord’s permission.

•Rural masses in total poverty and under the eye of the lord

Western Europe

•Free people under the law

•Could migrate, marry and learn trades

•Could own land