SAMPLE EXAM ESSAY ANSWERS

These are two sample answers for essay questions on my exam. Notice that the essay begins by incorporating part of the question in the answer.

What was Enclosure?

       This was the process of enclosing (with fences, ditches, hedges or other barriers) land that was formerly common lands. In England, the practice dated from the 12th century, but its greatest development was in the 14th century and reached  its peak in the 17th century. The aristocracy began to think of their land as a source of profit rather than using it in the traditional ways. For example, the expansion of the Flemish wool trade led to monetary advantages to fencing off sheep pastures rather than allowing their use as common land. The price of wool went up in England.
 

According to Marx, why were the enclosures important in the development of capitalism?

    Marx pointed out that the enclosures were an important part of the breakdown of the manorial system, which was central to feudalism. The serfs who were closed out of the common land or dispossessed left their villages and roamed the countryside. Many of them became beggars, tramps and criminals. They were individuals roaming around on their own, but as industrialization increased, they began to become a class—wage laborers who are "free" to sell their labor because they are separated from the means of production.