Catherine Ringer
Self - Narrator (voice)
Series
Watch A History of the European Rural Life (2024) Online
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Synopsis
The history of the European peasantry, which has undergone many upheavals over the centuries: from its rise in the Middle Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire, through the oppression of the nobility and the Church, to the struggles for freedom and modernization in the present era.
Episodes
Miniseries
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1. The Beginning / The Lords, and Those Who DigNow viewing2024-04-2356mBy the 6th century, the disintegration of the Roman Empire was complete: no more state, no more big cities. The European peasantry was born. A change of scale. The great Roman commercial agriculture disappeared. These first peasants, freed from the weight of the State, taxes and the obligation to feed the Empire's major cities, produced only as much as they needed. Peasant communities were freer than ever. This golden age came to an end in the 8th century. The new warrior elites imposed a return to domination, taxes, and the invention of drudgery and serfdom. The Church took part in the reconquest, tracking down the old rural cults.
2. Rebellion and War / Revolutions2024-04-2355mAround the year 1000, growth resumed in Europe. This was the product of the work of peasants, who were even more exploited and despised, especially by city dwellers who were making a comeback. The rise of commercial agriculture was based on cereals, the main source of profit for the ruling classes. The banks of the River Po and the coasts of the North Sea were drained to conquer new wheat lands. The destruction of these wetlands disrupted the peasant economy and led to catastrophic flooding, the effects of which are still felt today. In the 14th century, famine, war and plague put an end to growth. The era of the great anti-feudal revolts began, with their mystical and egalitarian overtones. From the French Jacquerie of 1358 to the German Peasants' War of 1525, all were drowned in blood.
3. Towards Freedom / The Immobile Peasant, the Moving Peasant2024-04-2355mPeasants don't need to know. If they knew how to read or write, they could challenge the titles of the rulers and the authority of the Church, like the Italian miller Menocchio, declared a heretic and burned alive in 1600. Peasant knowledge was just as suspect. Peasant witches, often simple bonesetters, were hunted down, accused of worshipping Satan and burned by the thousands. On the threshold of modern times, in the name of progress and profitability, the dominant classes launched an offensive against the old village solidarities. England set the example by privatizing communal lands. By depriving farmers of an indispensable resource, they were condemned to disappear. France followed a different path. Still in the majority, its peasantry played a major and little-known role in the Revolution which, in 1789, put an end to a thousand years of feudal rule.
4. Against the Rest of the World / Peasant Masses2024-04-2356mIn the 19th century, Europe's farmers were finally free. But the Industrial Revolution and modernization precipitated their decline. Deserting the countryside, they left en masse for the cities. As the rural exodus gathered momentum, conservatives saw peasants as the embodiment of all traditional values. Reputed to be more obedient and hard-working than workers, they were the main cannon fodder of the First World War. Fascism and Nazism took this mystification to the extreme, invoking the eternal peasant as the guardian of soil and blood. But the real peasant is subject to the dictates of the state, technocrats and agronomists. Unaffected by political regimes, the steamroller of industrial agriculture has continued to advance ever since. Yet the peasants are still there, making other voices heard.
Cast
Top Billed Cast
No photo Miklós Attila Szőcs Boruss
Self - Farmer
No photo Massimo Montanari
Self - Historian
No photo Chris Wickham
Self - Historian
No photo Edith Peytremann
Self - Archaeologist
No photo Sheilagh Ogilvie
Self - Historian
No photo Jean-Pierre Devroey
Self - Historian
No photo Morgan Ody
Self - Farmer
No photo Olivier Savoy
Self - Farmer
No photo Tim Soens
Self - Historian
No photo Lyndal Roper
Self - Historian
No photo Antonio Onorati
Self - Farmer
Carlo Ginzburg
Self - Historian
No photo Eugene Costello
Self - Archaeologist
No photo Esther Pascua Echegaray
Self - Historian
No photo Gérard Béaur
Self - Historian
No photo Laurent Brassart
Self - Historian
No photo Miguel Cabo Villaverde
Self - Historian
No photo Omar Bessaoud
Self - Agroeconomist
No photo Marie Savoy
Self - Farmer
Availability
Where To Watch Legally
No legal streaming, rental or purchase options for A History of the European Rural Life were reported for this region.
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is A History of the European Rural Life available to watch online?
Vidbox does not currently have a legal streaming, rental or purchase option on record for A History of the European Rural Life in this region.
How many seasons does A History of the European Rural Life have?
A History of the European Rural Life has 1 season and 4 episodes.
When did A History of the European Rural Life first air?
A History of the European Rural Life first aired in 2024.
Is A History of the European Rural Life still running?
A History of the European Rural Life's status on TMDB is: Ended.
What genre is A History of the European Rural Life?
A History of the European Rural Life is classified as Documentary.