Aristocracy and Peasantry in the Eighteenth Century (Essay Sample)

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Aristocracy and Peasantry in the Eighteenth Century
Social classes grow gradually, and their differences determine which group will control the rest. This defining element was characteristic in western civilizations in the eighteenth century. As some people tried to uplift their lives through farming and trade, others were working hard to control them as social, economic, and political prestige prompted. To a large extent, the eighteenth century was mostly aristocratic. Aristocrats had more influence compared to peasants and in a better position to maximize their productivity, albeit both groups depending mainly on agriculture.
Regarding influence, aristocrats were at the pinnacle of society, where they enjoyed economic and political prestige. Their high income gave them a better social status and more control of factors of production (Trumbach 122-124). Meanwhile, the advancement of the peasants was piecemeal, considering that majority were not landowners or owned small portions if any. With the majority of the aristocrats being landowners, they had the advantage of preserving their social status and the benefit of political protection. Great influence implies that aristocrats had the power to amass more wealth and influence social, economic, and political decisions (Wilson 98-101). Even as agricultural production and methods improved, peasants’ lack of influence proved costly since they could not control anything.