Die Bauern in der europäischen Geschichte (Europa bauen)

by Werner Rösener

German

Genres: History

296 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1994

Reviews

[Vasha7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compressed yet reasonably thorough overview of the economic and social history of agriculture in Europe, from the early Middle Ages to the present. It's an enormous subject to cover in just 200 pages, but Rösener makes it possible thanks to a very clear writing style. He will mention issues that are controversial, briefly cite some historians who've offered views on the subject, state his own position, and then move on. There are almost no anecdotes or local historical details, and the individual people mentioned could be counted on one hand.

This could make for dry reading, but I personally didn't find it so; the clarity and organization of the generalized discussions was enough to keep my attention for the most part. Only the single chapter devoted to the 20th century felt seriously inadequate; enormous changes have taken place during that time, and there are major debates going on about the subject, which Rösener can do little more than mention. But the book as a whole could serve as a valuable jumping-off place for further reading and investigation. I certainly feel encouraged to read more about agricultural issues.

[Lorenzo Catalano · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Il libro è di piacevole lettura e riesce a far orientare anche un lettore non specialista all’interno dei grandi avvenimenti e processi che riguardano la storia agraria europea.
Ma:
- ripercorrere dodici secoli di storia in poco più di trecento pagine è un’impresa troppo ambiziosa; il libro passa troppo velocemente in rassegna alcune questioni;
- le parti di maggior approfondimento riguardano alcune precise aree geografiche (Germania e Francia su tutte). Su Italia, Spagna, Olanda e Inghilterra ci sono menzioni sparse. Su altri paesi, quasi nulla.

Nel complesso, dunque, si tratta di un buon libro dal quale partire, ma su cui non ci si può soffermare troppo, se si intende approfondire la materia.

[Vysloczil]

It is a very broad brush approach that has the clear advantage that it could serve as a "first read" for someone who wants to dive deeper or a quick overview for someone who is not interested in details.
Regularly the author jumps between centuries within just one paragraph, explaining the big picture. The writing style is quite tight and compact, not indulging in details, but this comes obviously at the cost of missing out on certain nuances. Also there is a slight bias towards the German lands and Eastern Europe (which is due to the author's expertise).

His general approach is very much geared toward plain economics and economic geography, that is! He is very obviously influenced by the great literature on historical geography that was flourishing around this time - Pounds being the most eminent and prolific author.
Rösener does not seek the roots of European development, for which the peasantry is a crucial factor, in cultural or institutional explanations. He understands quite well the role of market access and that a reduction of transport/transaction costs implies greater division of labour (i.e. specialisation).

He also illustrates quite nicely how in the peasant communities (that formed a village) a sense of solidarity and collectivism evolved over the centuries due to the cooperation that was needed as an insurance against misfortune and in the common fields. At least since the three-crop rotation was implemented, there was the need to coordinate the cropping cycle amongst all participants which was the starting point for the need of rules/statutes and regular village meetings. (Ch11)

[Kasparas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Atrodo daug vienas kitam prieštaraujančių sakinių tose pačioee pastraipose. Keista, neaiškaus sistematingumo knyga.