History Essays Examples - Structures of Tributary States

Structures of Tributary States

During the Neolithic revolution, land and agriculture were the primary sources of wealth. Agricultural surplus was used to deal with starvation appropriately. This enabled a certain number of individuals to pursue other things such as religion, engineering, construction, art and politics.
The tributary system of states mainly favored the elite as they collected agricultural surplus from the Peasantry. The peasants only had the legal rights of control on the land resources. The peasants paid tributes in form of providing surplus food to the Elite who were not mainly farmers. The tributes were also paid in the form of duties and payments to the political set up. The peasantry also offered labor services and military services to the government. Luxurious goods in the economy were meant for the elite consumption. Sumptuary laws were also common in tributary states to limit extravagance and excess use of scarce resources. The main role of the state was to remunerate soldiers in the army and promote Elite trade. Money in the form of currency and coins was used as the means of exchange in trade transactions. Political power was manifested in the ability to manipulate resources and share wealth.
Medieval Europe had a tributary system where the peasantry paid tribute to the Lords by setting aside land for cultivation of the Lord’s agricultural produce. Vikings and Celtic tribes also took tributes from the communities who were their potential raiding targets. Ancient China also practiced this system through the Qing tributary system. Envoys had pay tribute to the emperor in exchange for the emperor’s seal of recognition. This recognition enabled merchants to carry out trade freely in the empire. The Islam Caliphates also imposed Jizyah tax which was a form of tax tribute to the state. The abolition of slave trade which led to the signing of treaties that declared the inherent freedom of man ended this tributary system.

The French Revolution

The French Revolution took place in 1789 and was very fundamental in establishing the freedoms and rights of citizens in society. By the year 1700, France had become a strong military power. However, there was unrest in France due to the heavy taxes imposed on the subjects as a result of the expensive wars under the reign of the monarch. The subjects faced much oppression from the monarch system as they were oppressed. There were also many ideas in France brought out by French scholars such as Montesquieu which enlightened the people to see the negative aspects of the royal rule.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen was major basis for the transformation of subjects to citizens. Subjects were under the mercy of the Monarch and did not have any sovereign power vested in them. They were subjected to the will of the Monarch that ruled over them. Citizens, however, were entitled to the fundamentals rights and freedoms providing in this draft declaration by the National Assembly of France in August 1789. The articles of the declaration provided for liberty, security, property and resistance to oppression rights for the citizens who were also made to be essential as the sovereign power was vested in them. Citizens had an opportunity to participate in vesting sovereign authority in the government through elections. The radicals in the French revolution called for abolishment of the Monarch and installation of an elected government but the Monarchists in parliament insisted on a constitutional and eventually France became a Republic in 1792.
The French revolution had several implications. The royal family and Louis XVI were executed after being declared as traitors of France in Parliament. The radicals who had a lot of influence in the National Assembly orchestrated the fall of the monarch. European Monarchies angered by the cruel actions of France invaded France hence creating war and political instability.

Overseas Trade, Enclosures, and Industrial Revolution

The peasantries in Britain were individuals who cultivated the agricultural lands of the Lords. The peasants paid rent for the land to the Lords and were under the control of the nobles. Peasants were burdened with much labor as they also had to make money in order to pay taxes to the Monarch. Raw materials for the spinning of wool for instance were readily provided for them to provide labor for the manufacturing industries.
The industrial revolution in Britain brought about significant changes in the agricultural production sector. There were technological advancements that led to the introduction of machinery in agriculture. This machinery replaced the peasantry practice with laborers. The factories required laborers to handle their machines in the manufacturing and production process. Chartered companies such as British India Company were formed in Britain. These companies monopolized trade in their areas of dominance and were also in competition with other companies. The House of Commons fought against the King and Royalist Lords in Britain during civil war. This civil unrest eventually led to the abolishment of peasantry system which was the domain of the Lords. Laborers were introduced and unlike peasants, laborers were protected by the government through employment laws that provided for their rights. Laborers were not subjected to oppression by the House of Lords which were reluctant in allowing the implementation of the economic plans.