TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > English > Blake - the Agrarian Revolution
Rural Britain
During the 1790s Britain was at war with France. At the same time Britain suffered from a series of poor harvests. There were shortages of basic foodstuffs and prices rocketed.
There were widespread 'food riots' across the country, which involved people blocking the delivery of food stocks and crowds selling foodstuffs in the market at set prices. The government's response was to commission two surveys (1795 and 1800) to discover precisely how much land was being used for arable production.
The population of England grew from six million in 1750 to nine million in 1800, and there was a rapid change from urban to industrial life with all the problems that this brings. With the belief that industry could improve the conditions of life, the philosophy of utilitarianism was developed intending that society should provide the `greatest good for the greatest number'.
By the mid eighteenth century, new theories about the nature of man, of society, and of the acquisition and purpose of knowledge, began to have far-reaching influences on political and educational ideas. At the same time, "laissez-faire" economics was promoted, allowing the free interplay of forces in economics and society and monitoring their effects with minimal legislative interference. These benefits and forces, it was assumed, would be controlled by educated people making the `right' judgements about moral, political, and economic issues, and the principle that education could influence human beliefs, attitudes, morals and conduct was emphasised.
During a critical period from about 1750 to 1850 the gradual isolation of the universities with their classical traditions from industrial growth and technical improvement was evident. This division was closely linked to the class system and the established English intellectual and social attitudes of the time
From the 1790s onwards working people began to read the radical press, attend lectures, and learn by participation in political discussion
"The Rights of Man" (Paine, 1798), was an attack on the established social order and its exploitation of the poor and working classes. The radicals saw the Church as the main obstacle to political reform in its reinforcement of the strong social stratification, and they replaced this indoctrination with rational education through their own schools, aiming to inform people of the reasons for the poor condition and the state of society and industry, and placing instruction within the reach of everyone.
Teaching methods encouraged self-confidence, and the capacity for clear self expression, and he organisers realised the importance of combining systematic education with mass political agitation. men and women became informed and critical leaders of the new working class movement, able to master and comprehend some of the most advanced political thinking. This was recognised as a threat by the establishment and in 1799 an Act of Parliament was passed ".for the more effectual suppression of societies for seditious purposes.."
Enclosure Law
'Enclosure' was the conversion of open fields or wastes and commons to individual private plots of land.
Landowners and some non-landowning commoners (those who lost their communal right to use the land for pasture, fuel, building materials etc.) were provided with plots of land referred to as 'allotments'.
Allotments in this sense could be made up of several hundred acres or just a small scrap of land, depending upon other lands they owned or held. Enclosure was managed at a local level and records produced during an enclosure can provide a snapshot of an individual parish or manor. From the middle of the 18th century enclosure often took place under individual acts of parliament.
Enclosure laws meant some lands were closed to the public to be used for farms etc. this did mean more food and pushed the peasants to the cities.
I guess Blake wouldn't like this law because it meant regularisation of his beloved countryside?
Causes of French revolution
Interactions of three interests:
- literary cabal (Rousseau, Voltaire etc) determined to attack religion and with it the entire establishment
- politicians who wished to build France into a world power via a republic
- government of Louis XVI abetted revolutionaries were abetted by the stupidity of the court.
France was out of control and incapable of correcting itself
Consequences of revolution
- predicted a deterioration into military government
- France would attack her neighbours
- only outside intervention could reverse the situation
- suggested nations of Europe should launch a pre-emptive invasion of France to restore the old order
I think with the agrarian revolution you would look at how England moved away from rurality to city living and you could show this through the transgression from innocence to experience in the Songs.
eg. beforehand: the echoing green, spring, laughing song, etc.
after: London, the tyger, industry stuff
Comments
These notes are aimed at A Level English Literature students at A2 level.
Originally written by RosiRox on TSR Forums.
