Chłopi południowej Małopolski wobec kryzysów żywnościowych od XVII do połowy XIX wieku
en
translation: Peasants of Southern Lesser Poland Facing Food Crises from the XVIIth to the Mid-XIXth Century
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Crop failures, food shortages, and finally famines were common in pre-modern Europe, but poorly researched in the case of Polish lands. By using many different archival materials, including registry books, it was possible to establish that for southern Lesser Poland, not only the catastrophe of 1847, resulting from the potato blight, but also the famines of the 18th century resulted in a huge mortality and a drop in births. Their demographic and economic effects were at least comparable to epidemics and more severe than the destruction of war. The paradox was that it was the peasants, i.e. food producers, who were also the main victims, despite attempts to increase food security. The reviewed publication is the first, extremely valuable study devoted to food crises and famines in southern Lesser Poland.
