Mercados campesinos y diferenciación social en la transición al capitalismo

Abstract

The transformation processes that affected the European peasantry in the late Middle Ages have long been considered essential in order to study the transition from feudalism to capitalism. This work analyzes the way in which the process of social differentiation and the development of local markets in 14th and 15th C Castile are related. In the first place, different historiographic theses are examined. They all share a logical-abstract approach to the problem, neglecting the specific manner in which peasant markets operate. Next, an alternative hypothesis is put forward in contrast. Based on the analysis of documents from the Town of Avila, this hypothesis reveals the existence of forms of unequal exchange, which enable capitalist accumulation at village level and create the conditions for the emergence of a modern class structure.