The End of the Peasantry in Southeast Asia

Download or read book The End of the Peasantry in Southeast Asia written by R.E. Elson and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-01-13 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyses the changing context and conditions of production and livelihood amongst Southeast Asia's peasants since the beginning of the nineteenth century. It argues that with demographic growth and the nineteenth century development of great global markets based on small-scale production, the size and economic significance of peasantries throughout the region was magnified. However, such changes brought with them new forces - stronger states, more regular legal systems, a revolution in communications, intensive commercialisation - which themselves worked to undermine the foundations of peasant society and, eventually, to transform peasants into farmers, workers and citizens.