The Study Of The Well-to-do Peasants In England (1450-1650)

In recent years, at home and abroad, research about agricultural modernization of England was rich considerably, and many of important problems were advanced. Among of them, it is necessary to discuss the well-to-do peasant group, further and deeply. Who was a generator of agricultural modernization in England, Landlord, merchants or industrial capitalist? This dissertation argues that Agriculture was a foundation of capitalism of England and the well-to-do peasant initiated the agricultural capitalism and became a backbone in agricultural society. Being elite of rural society of England in the transition period, the well-to-do peasant has great and deep influences on economy, politics, educational culture, daily life and so on. Therefore, they were the original power in economy and politics for England being the first industrial country, and further became the generator of capitalism in England.The period from 1450 to 1650, was a gold age for the well-to-do peasant in England. From the view of general history of human being, pre-and-post 1500, this period was just'a transition age from region history to world history', and'in the agricultural world of the Asio-European continent, an overwhelming change has been taken place in the area of socio-economy'. And, during this period, human being has changed from agriculture-oriented economy to industrial society. The history has proved, when the agriculture capitalism was rising, it was the well-to-do peasant who has gained the first benefit or a Star-up Fund. In the forming of capitalism, the well-to-do peasant has undergone an evolution from the peasant under a system of Fief to the capitalist farmer. In the 15th and 16th century, Yeoman or the well-to-do peasant and it's extend entity gentry were raising. They invested profits gained from land into land again, which resulted in progress of agricultural technology over and over, increased real value of the land, and made reproduction enlargement continually. Thus, they were initiator and promoter of agricultural revolution, and became the backbone for economic transition of England. In essence, the well-to-do peasant and it's extend entity gentry were an ancestor of the agricultural capitalist class in England.Based on Marxist historical materialism, resorted to economic and social research method, and aided by research of the related subject area, the dissertation put great emphasis on evidence and quantitative analysis on the basis of collecting data and specially the most new research in the field of the problem at home and abroad. The author considers the well-to-do peasant group of England from 1450 to 1650 as a whole to discuss. From angles of the origin of the well-to-do peasant, forming of the well-to-do peasant group, consumable level of the well-to-do peasant, public political life and education background of the well-to-do peasant, combination of the well-to-do peasant and gentry, the future of the well-to-do peasant and so on, the author will make multiple and deep analysis. By uniting individual with the messes, combining static history with dynamic history, associating the given instances with the tendency of lengthy period history, we can rejuvenate this important group'the well-to-do peasant'life scene and true historical visage, which can understand the process of English rural modernization. Incontestably, the history of peasant, including the well-to-do peasant, is an important part in process of English agricultural modernization and the whole social modernization. But, it is pity that the great historical fact was ever ignored! So, discussing the problem has an academic value, and also provides a historical reference and a deep and rich thought data for my homeland's agricultural modernization.