The Politics of Provisions

Food Riots, Moral Economy, and Market Transition in England, c. 1550–1850

Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book The Politics of Provisions by John Bohstedt, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Bohstedt ISBN: 9781317020196
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: February 24, 2016
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: John Bohstedt
ISBN: 9781317020196
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: February 24, 2016
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

The elemental power of food politics has not been fully appraised. Food marketing and consumption were matters of politics as much as economics as England became a market society. In times of dearth, concatenations of food riots, repression, and relief created a maturing politics of provisions. Over three centuries, some eight hundred riots crackled in waves across England. Crowds seized wagons, attacked mills and granaries, and lowered prices in marketplaces or farmyards. Sometimes rioters parleyed with magistrates. More often both acted out a well-rehearsed political minuet that evolved from Tudor risings and state policies down to a complex culmination during the Napoleonic Wars. 'Provision politics' thus comprised both customary negotiations over scarcity and hunger, and 'negotiations' of the social vessel through the turbulence of dearth. Occasionally troops killed rioters, or judges condemned them to the gallows, but increasingly riots prompted wealthy citizens to procure relief supplies. In short, food riots worked: in a sense they were a first draft of the welfare state. This pioneering analysis connects a generation of social protest studies spawned by E.P. Thompson's essay on the 'moral economy' with new work on economic history and state formation. The dynamics of provision politics that emerged during England's social, economic and political transformations should furnish fruitful models for analyses of 'total war' and famine as well as broader transitions elsewhere in world history.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The elemental power of food politics has not been fully appraised. Food marketing and consumption were matters of politics as much as economics as England became a market society. In times of dearth, concatenations of food riots, repression, and relief created a maturing politics of provisions. Over three centuries, some eight hundred riots crackled in waves across England. Crowds seized wagons, attacked mills and granaries, and lowered prices in marketplaces or farmyards. Sometimes rioters parleyed with magistrates. More often both acted out a well-rehearsed political minuet that evolved from Tudor risings and state policies down to a complex culmination during the Napoleonic Wars. 'Provision politics' thus comprised both customary negotiations over scarcity and hunger, and 'negotiations' of the social vessel through the turbulence of dearth. Occasionally troops killed rioters, or judges condemned them to the gallows, but increasingly riots prompted wealthy citizens to procure relief supplies. In short, food riots worked: in a sense they were a first draft of the welfare state. This pioneering analysis connects a generation of social protest studies spawned by E.P. Thompson's essay on the 'moral economy' with new work on economic history and state formation. The dynamics of provision politics that emerged during England's social, economic and political transformations should furnish fruitful models for analyses of 'total war' and famine as well as broader transitions elsewhere in world history.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Anne Wheathill by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book The Ethics of Development by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book Revolutionizing Global Higher Education Policy by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book Global Perspectives on Intercultural Communication by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book Troubles of Children and Parents by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book Creativity in Education and Learning by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book Economics as an Evolutionary Science by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book Neutrality in World History by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book Perspectives on Korean Music by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book White by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book Rewarding People by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book The Opinions of William Cobbett by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book Major Law and Policy Issues in the South China Sea by John Bohstedt
Cover of the book Anglo-American Life Insurance, 1800-1914 Volume 1 by John Bohstedt
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy