Comparative development of the European manorial system and the Latin American hacienda system

Abstract

In this paper it is argued that basically the same agrarian structure once predominated in both Europe and Latin America: the manorial or hacienda system. Two types of manorial or hacienda system are distinguished, the Grund‐ and Gutsherrschaft, and their implications are analysed for the complex of conflicting relationships between landlords and peasants. An attempt is made to single out the crucial factors which explain the development pattern of the system, and special emphasis is given to the dissolution process, particularly to one of its aspects—the proletarianization of the peasantry.