Economic changes in the period between 1560 and 1648

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Economic changes in this period had various effects. Firstly, the growth of trade and commerce meant that women were increasingly excluded from many economic activities that they had previously participated in. Secondly, the consolidation of large estates and the rise of the market economy led to increased economic stratification in the countryside, with wealthy landowners at the top and landless peasants at the bottom. The latter group often had to work for these landowners and had little control over their economic fate. This was especially true in eastern Europe, where many peasants were still bound to the land as serfs. Thirdly, the growth of manufacturing and the growth of cities led to an increase in the number of landless peasants who migrated to urban areas to seek work.

Economic Changes in the Period Between 1560 and 1648