ABSTRACT

When we speak of feudalism we are usually thinking of the Middle Ages in Europe. The feudal organization is consequently regarded as an institution belonging to a later period of history, but this view can only be accepted with considerable limitations. The conditions necessary for the rise of feudalism are provided in any case by a stratified society; its forms are alien to 'homogeneous' communities. Feudalism has, therefore, in reality nothing to do with the lowest forms of association. However, it is an institution which very soon makes its appearance in stratified communities. The fact that most transactions are in kind and that the upper stratum claims all the land or cattle, are the economic causes of feudalism, of which, however, various forms must be distinguished.