The economic basis of feudalism is __________

1. Analyze the question The question asks what the economic basis of feudalism was, meaning the main source of wealth and production that held the system together.

2. Explain the concept Feudalism was a social, political and economic system common in medieval Europe, and similar forms existed elsewhere, such as in parts of Africa like the Hausa-Fulani emirates and Ethiopia. Its main features were:

• Land was the key source of wealth. The king or overlord granted land (fiefs) to lords or vassals.
• Vassals gave loyalty and military service in return for land.
• Peasants or serfs worked the land, farming crops and rearing animals, and gave part of their produce and labour to the lord in exchange for protection.

Because wealth came from land and what it produced, feudalism was an agrarian (agriculture-based) economy.

3. Solution: eliminating the options

• A. Agriculture: Correct. Land and farming were the foundation of production, and the lord-serf relationship centred on working the land.
• B. Capital: This describes capitalism, where wealth comes from investment, money and industry. Capitalism replaced feudalism.
• C. Trade: Trade was limited in feudal society. It grew later and helped to end feudalism as towns and merchants rose.
• D. Slavery: This is the basis of the slave-owning system, which is different. Serfs were bound to the land but were not owned as property in the same way as slaves.

4. Answer The economic basis of feudalism is agriculture, which is option A.

5. Tip Remember the sequence of systems and their economic bases:

• Slavery → forced labour
• Feudalism → land/agriculture
• Capitalism → capital/industry
• Socialism → state or collective ownership

For feudalism, think "Feudal = Farm".