The manorial society in Bohemia
Date
1988
Authors
Evans, Daniel George
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Abstract
The subject of this thesis is the agricultural history of Bohemia, an area that shares both common features with neighbouring regions, as well as one which possesses features unique to itself. I chose this subject because I believe that it is essential to understand the agricultural system if we are to understand the society at all. I believe that we get closer to studying the real essence of human experience when we study social structure, economy and ecological adaptation, than if we study the course of great battles or the lives of great men.
My other interest in Bohemia relates to the modern world. Today Bohemia is a province of Czechoslovakia. Before 1918, it was a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It has been difficult for historians, therefore, to separate the craft of their profession from the political events of the time. Not only do we have to live with an iron curtain in the present, but we also have to live with it in the past. I have found that most of what has been written on eastern Europe is concerned primarily with politics and has a strong national bias. My chief goal has been, therefore, to strive for some degree of objectivity in the history of a region that has long been torn by political strife.