The agrarian revolution is ... Agrarian revolutions in world history

Agriculture is the most important branch of the economy of any country. It not only provides the population with the necessary food, but also reflects the overall level of technical progress of a state, incorporating the best achievements of science and technology. In this article we will talk about what an agrarian revolution is and what its main features are. In addition, you will learn how many of them were in the history of our civilization.

The agrarian revolution is ...

It turns out that their revolutions are characteristic of agriculture. And the essence of them does not differ from the revolutions that occur in the socio-political life of mankind.

The agrarian revolution is a combination of rapid and profound changes occurring in the agrarian complex. This phenomenon is also often called an agrarian coup. It should be emphasized that such revolutions are usually very compressed in time frames.

The main condition for an agrarian revolution is the establishment of stable capitalist production relations. In addition, we can distinguish other features (conditions) of the agrarian revolution. Among them:

• Transition to commodity production;
• Consolidation of rural enterprises and liquidation of small farms;
• The concentration of land among large landowners;
• The appearance of hired labor;
• Increase in the volume of products;
• Implementation of reclamation and other measures;
• The breeding of new varieties of crops or breeds of animals with the best productive qualities;
• Use of new and modern technology.

For agrarian revolutions, the intensification of agriculture will always be characteristic. By this term is meant an increase in the final output not due to an increase in the area of land or livestock, but due to the modernization of all processes, the introduction of the latest achievements of science and technology in agrarian matters.

Agrarian revolutions in history

Of course, each agrarian revolution has its own specific features, according to the time when it passed. Historians distinguish four such revolutions:

• Neolithic (occurred 10,000 years ago);
• Islamic (X century);
• British (XVIII century);
• "Green" revolution (the twentieth century).

The Neolithic agrarian revolution is a process that was accompanied by a person's transition from gathering to plant growing, from hunting to livestock. It was at this time that the first cultivated varieties of wheat, barley, rice appeared. In the same period, there were also first attempts at domesticating wild animals. Scientists today allocate about seven main centers of origin of cultivated plants, among which the Middle East is particularly prominent.

The Islamic agrarian revolution is a radical change in the agrarian complex of the Arab Caliphate, which was accompanied by a powerful development of natural and land science sciences. Historians argue that it was in this era that active globalization of key crops took place.

The British agrarian revolution dates back to the 18th century. Some researchers singled out the Scottish agrarian revolution, which took place at the same time, as a separate item. The British revolution was marked by the active introduction of new technologies, the development of fertilizers, etc. It was closely linked with the so-called scientific and technological revolution.

"Green revolution

The last of the agrarian revolutions began around the middle of the twentieth century. Its main features include the active use of fertilizers and pesticides, the introduction of new varieties of crops and the introduction of new technology.

Scientists believe that the cause, the impetus of this agrarian revolution is the active growth of the world's population. Thus, in the middle of the last century, the need for food sharply increased, especially in developing countries, where the "green revolution" is most pronounced (Mexico, India, Colombia). Along with this, the active use of fertilizers and pesticides also provoked some environmental problems. The most serious of them is contamination of fertile soils.

Finally...

As history shows, none of the processes in the life of society is going smoothly. And agriculture in this regard is no exception. This industry developed spasmodically, while sharp and significant changes in agriculture are called agrarian revolutions.