The Agrarian Question

Abstract

A medieval peasant household was a self-sufficient entity not only in producing the output but also in the means of reproduction. Growth of unknown destinations for the agricultural commodities brought new opportunities that lured the peasant. Dealers in grain and cattle were soon joined by the usurer. Market uncertainty added to the weather uncertainty that made mayhem of markets. The commodities of urban industry that reached the village also sowed the seeds of dissolution of the traditional peasant family. The contribution of modern science and industrialization since the mid-19th century in changing agriculture has been remarkable. The agricultural capitalist enjoys profit from sources other than surplus labour, which is the ground rent, except when he is a tenant. Feudal lords previously cultivated their own lands using human and animal labour with their servile peasant labour, making few improvements to the land. The arrival of capitalist agriculture changes this very structure.

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