15 - Agrarian society

Summary

This chapter focuses on the state of the rural economy, with the attempts of the state to regulate the production and pricing of agrarian produce, and with the unintended side-effects of these interventions. It explains the impact of the Great War on agrarian society at the regional level. In all belligerent countries, the war had a tremendous impact on the agrarian economy. The first major effect of the war was an unprecedented presence of state policies and state officials in the countryside. The most important external factor that affected agricultural production among the Central Powers Austria-Hungary and Germany was the Allied blockade, which effectively sealed off imports of both agricultural produce and fertiliser. The war also affected the social fabric of rural society, exacerbated or transformed existing social fault lines within village communities, while at the same time bringing new forms of conflict to the fore.