Commons and Crises in the Seventeenth Century: Hardship and Development in Northern Sweden

• Main Author: Larsson, Jesper
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: commons; common pool resources; collective action; crises; IASC; History; Social Organization; Northern Sweden
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10535/8926

"The seventeenth century is known as the Age of Greatness in Swedish history. However in many ways the period can be described as a crisis for the peasants. The crisis had three main reasons; 1) wars; 2) increased taxes, and 3) a cooler climate. The consecutive wars affected the peasants in many ways, i.e. between 1620 and 1719, half a million men died in the wars. This corresponded to 30 percent of all adult men. The wars also caused increased taxes and peasants thus had to increase production. The Little Ice Age created a cooler climate and added to the crises since it affected agriculture. In this paper I will show how the peasants reacted to these crises and how important the commons became to create solutions in response to the crises. The crises could be turned into development because the peasants utilized the commons more effectively. The increased use of the common was a result of more collective action and it created new institutional settings and new organizations. It led to a shift in agriculture practice and a development of complementary businesses that produced commodities for a market. Many resources from the commons became increasingly important at this time, like firewood and charcoal and there was an expansion of a transhumance system, here called summer farms. The establishment of summer farms was a way to use the vast woodlands as grazing areas. The more intense use of the commons had impacts on institutions, organizations, labor division, land use and settlements. This created a use of the commons that lasted for more than two centuries and was essential for agriculture up to the beginning of the twentieth century. The self-governing of the local resources made it possible for the users to change production and create institution for its management."