The beginning of 18th

century
Spanish succession war
Spanish succession war
In1700 Charles II, last of the Spanish king of the
House of Hababurg, died leaving no heir bequeathin
his possessions to Philip d'Anjou, grandson of King of
France.
Such a Franco-Spanish unification would have
drastically changed the European balance of power so
Great Britain, Austria and Prussia supported the
candidate of the Housen of Hasburg, Archduk
Charles.
Peace of Utrecht
The Peace of Utrecht marks the end of the conflict
and the establishment of the Bourbon dynasty in
Spain.
The clauses of the Treaty:
Philip was recognized as King of Spain however, he
was forced to renounce any right to the French
throne.
Spain ceded Gibraltar and Minorca to GB.
Spain lost the European territories.
The 18th century
economic and
demographic changes
The changes in the
demographic cycle
European population grew very slowly throughout the
modern history and even dropped in moments of
special mortality rates.
In the 18th century new factors turned the tide:
A period of peace and stability.
The introduction of new food like potato and corn.
New medical advances and hygienic and sanitary
improvements.
These factors caused a deep drop in mortality, while
the number of births remained high.
The DEMOGRAPHIC REVOLUTION increased
towards the end of the century.
European population: from 125 millions in 1700 to
195 millions in 1800.
The transformation in the
agriculture
Continued population growth required continued
increase in food production, so the producers were
pressed to increased the yield.
Wetlands were dried out in order to increase the
surface of cultivable land.
Changes in agricultural tools: the iron plow
substituted the roman plow, more draught animals
were introduced...
Roman plow
Iron plow
Norfolk system: four crops were rotated once a
year increasing yields.
Substitution of communal lands by privately owned
parcels, where the owner introduced the
improvements that would eventually increase his
profits.
The changes in handcraft
and trade
The population growth involved the need of
producing more goods and having them deliver to
more people.
The means of transport such as roads and ships were
improved.
The domestic system was taking the place of the
old guild system.
Domestic
system I
Mercantilism
It is an economic theory that holds that the prosperity
of a nation is dependent upon its supply of capital.
The global volume of international trade is
unchangeable.

The government should advance these goals by
playing a protectionist role in the economy
(encouraging exports and discouraging imports,
notably through the use of tariffs and subsides).
Economic assets of a nation are represented by
bullion held by the the state, which is best increased
through a positive balance of trade with other
nations.