Evaluate the extent to which the mit'a labor system in the Inca Empire was similar to serfdom in Europe in the period before 1450 c. e.

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History

Kathryn Larson

5 July, 06:44

Evaluate the extent to which the mit'a labor system in the Inca Empire was similar to serfdom in Europe in the period before 1450 c. e.

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Belen Colon · Answer 1

In only one aspect it was similar.

Explanation:

One of the goals of Mit'a labor system was what we nowadays could call social welfare. Men between 15 to 50 were required to work 60 to 70 days a year in different social field groups. They worked the fields of the Emperor, the nobles, but also the fields of those people who could no longer maintain their own land. Serfdom in Europe ment that you were required to work the whole year around, that you didn't own any land, and that you were not supposed to develop any social emphatic behaviour; that was too dangerous for the Monarchies! So the only similarity is having an Emperor or King who tells you what to do.

The Mit'a labor system does have some similarity with modern volunteer work.