The Servile State · Chapter
III: How the Servile Institution Was for a Time Dissolved explained
This chapter traces the gradual transformation of slavery into serfdom and then into a free peasantry under the influence of the Christian Church and medieval society.
What happens
This chapter traces the gradual transformation of slavery into serfdom and then into a free peasantry under the influence of the Christian Church and medieval society. It describes how the Roman villa system, based on absolute property and slave labor, evolved through customary dues and rootedness to the land into a system of serfs who were nearly free peasants. By the close of the Middle Ages, the servile institution had largely disappeared, replaced by a 'distributive state' where most families owned the means of production, supported by guilds and cooperative bodies. The chapter ends by contrasting this lost world of economic freedom with the subsequent rise of capitalism and the dispossession of the majority.
Themes in this chapter
Historical Cycle of Slavery and Freedom
The chapter details the long cycle from pagan slavery through Christian serfdom to a free peasantry, illustrating the historical pattern of servitude and emancipation.
Property as the Foundation of Freedom
The distributive state is described as one where most families own the means of production, and property is seen as the basis for economic and political freedom.
The Replacement of Contract by Status
The transformation from slave to serf to free peasant involves a shift from absolute property in persons to customary status and then to contractual relations.
Distributive State Established by the Close of the Middle Ages
The chapter explicitly describes the establishment of the distributive state as the culmination of medieval social development.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator describes the historical transformation of slavery into serfdom and the rise of the distributive state.
- Europeans
European society collectively undergoes the transformation from pagan slavery to Christian serfdom and then to a free peasantry.
- Collectivism
Collectivism is mentioned as not having replaced the servile institution; common land and guild property were part of a system of personal ownership.
- The Crown
The Crown is implicitly referenced in the context of the state as an agglomeration of families and the legal framework of medieval society.
Key passages
“The emancipation of slaves was indeed regarded as a good work by the faithful: but so was it regarded by the pagan.”
Both Christians and pagans considered freeing slaves a virtuous act.
Highlights that the Church did not initially condemn slavery as immoral.
“The slave and his descendants became more or less rooted to one spot. Some were still bought and sold, but in decreasing numbers.”
Slaves and their families became tied to the land, and the sale of slaves became less common over time.
Describes the early transition from chattel slavery to serfdom.
“The serf of the early Middle Ages, of the eleventh and early twelfth centuries, of the Crusades and the Norman Conquest, is already nearly a peasant.”
By the 11th and 12th centuries, serfs were almost indistinguishable from free peasants.
Shows the advanced stage of emancipation by the high Middle Ages.
“All, or most—the normal family—should own. And on ownership the freedom of the state should repose.”
The ideal was that every typical family should own property, and the state's freedom would be based on that widespread ownership.
Summarizes the distributive state's foundational principle.
