The Danish Revolution, 1500–1800: An Ecohistorical Interpretation

Cover......Page 1
Frontmatter......Page 2
Contents......Page 6
List of Illustrations......Page 8
Figure 1 - The Danish States: Denmark, Norway, and Schleswig-Holstein in the eighteenth century......Page 10
Preface......Page 12
Figure 2 - Denmark in the eighteenth century......Page 13
The Danish Revolution 1500--1800......Page 14
Introduction......Page 16
Part I - Denmark, 1500--1750: A Country in an Ecological Crisis......Page 22
1 - The Road to the Crisis......Page 24
1.1 Population Growth......Page 27
1.2 A Fiscal-Military State......Page 28
2 - The Anatomy of the Crisis......Page 33
Part II - The Ecological Revolution......Page 46
3.1 Sand Drift Is Arrested......Page 48
3.2 Land Reclamation......Page 54
3.3 Control of the Water Level......Page 55
3.4 Control of the pH Balance of the Soil: Marling......Page 64
3.5 Addition of Plant Nutrients through Better Utilization of Existing Resources......Page 72
3.6 Nitrogen from the Sea......Page 79
3.7 Nitrogen from the Air......Page 80
4.1 The Energy and Raw Materials Crisis......Page 103
4.2 Relieving the Energy and Raw Materials Crisis by Economizing......Page 107
4.3 Increased Production of Energy and Raw Materials......Page 121
4.4 Use of Wood Substitutes......Page 131
4.5 Stabilization of the Forests, 1763--1805......Page 143
Part III - The New Denmark......Page 147
5.1 The Denmark Facing East......Page 149
5.2 The Denmark Facing West......Page 156
6.1 Labour Burden and Working Hours, 1500--1800......Page 159
6.2 Falling Marginal Production and Changes in the Social Structure, 1500--1800......Page 171
6.3 Factors behind the Rising Influence of the Farmer Class during the Last Half of the Eighteenth Century......Page 187
7.1 Plague......Page 193
7.2 Malaria......Page 196
7.3 Tuberculosis......Page 199
7.4 Smallpox......Page 205
7.5 The Changing Pattern of Disease and Its Impact on Social Life......Page 206
8.1 The Danish Power Structure from the Viking Age until 1766: The Rule of the Aristocracy......Page 212
8.2 The Breakthrough of Centralistic Government, 1766--1814......Page 230
8.3 Conditions that Paved the Way for the Breakthrough of Centralistic Bureaucratic Government......Page 242
8.4 Winners and Losers......Page 256
Part IV - The Driving Forces behind the Danish Revolution, 1500--1800......Page 259
9 - Agrarian Reforms......Page 261
10 - Technology and Communication Systems......Page 267
10.1 The Danish Revolution, 1500--1800: A Chaotic Process......Page 270
Part V - The Inheritance......Page 273
11 - The Social and Political Inheritance......Page 275
12 - The Ecological Inheritance......Page 279
Appendix 1 - Currency, Weights, and Measures......Page 282
Appendix 2 - Reigns of Danish Kings and Queens......Page 284
Sources and Bibliography......Page 285
Index......Page 317