hectares East Rest of All of Elbia* Germany Germany 8.7% 21.0% 16.2% Under 5 ha. 5 - 20 ha. 21.3% 41.0% 33.4% 29.5% 29.9% 29.8% 20 - 100 ha. Over 100 ha. 40.5% 8.1% 20.6% Over 20 ha. 70.0% 38.0% 50.4% * East Elbia: Posen and West Prussia, East Prussia, Pomerania, Brandenburg-Berlin, Silesia, Mecklenburg. iii) Consequently by all such means, the eastern Junker landlords acquired about a million hectares (2.5 million acres), of peasant lands by 1860s. iv) The Junkers also gained economically by having their estates completely separated from peasant holdings: (1) Note: when, in earlier times, landlords had leased out portions of their demesnes to peasant, they often did so in the traditional Common Field form of scattered plough strips, intermingled with the demesne strips that the landlord had retained (2) This curious system, also found in the West (and also in England), had the advantage for the landlord of having the peasants plough these demesne lands for the landlord (virtually free labour) (3) Now, after peasant emancipation, the manorial lords were thus better able to enclose their own lands to create compact often vast farms: i.e., enclosure without concern for peasant property rights. (4) With enclosure and untrammelled completely separated property rights, Junker landowners could now use their lands more effectively as collateral to borrow money through mortgages. v) Many and finally most of those Junkers who enclosed and amalgamated their estates, and similarly also the larger peasant farmers who similarly engaged in enclosures, quickly modernized their
hectares East Elbia* Rest of Germany All of Germany Under 5 ha. 8.7% 21.0% 16.2% 5 - 20 ha. 21.3% 41.0% 33.4% 20 - 100 ha. 29.5% 29.9% 29.8% Over 100 ha. 40.5% 8.1% 20.6% Over 20 ha. 70.0% 38.0% 50.4% * East Elbia: Posen and West Prussia, East Prussia, Pomerania, Brandenburg-Berlin, Silesia, Mecklenburg. iii) Consequently by all such means, the eastern Junker landlords acquired about a million hectares (2.5 million acres), of peasant lands by 1860s. iv) The Junkers also gained economically by having their estates completely separated from peasant holdings: (1) Note: when, in earlier times, landlords had leased out portions of their demesnes to peasant, they often did so in the traditional Common Field form of scattered plough strips, intermingled with the demesne strips that the landlord had retained (2) This curious system, also found in the West (and also in England), had the advantage for the landlord of having the peasants plough these demesne lands for the landlord (virtually free labour) (3) Now, after peasant emancipation, the manorial lords were thus better able to enclose their own lands to create compact often vast farms: i.e., enclosure without concern for peasant property rights. (4) With enclosure and untrammelled completely separated property rights, Junker landowners could now use their lands more effectively as collateral to borrow money through mortgages. v) Many and finally most of those Junkers who enclosed and amalgamated their estates, and similarly also the larger peasant farmers who similarly engaged in enclosures, quickly modernized their
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