The Enclosure Movement, The Diggers and The Zapatistas

Here is a very brief, Eurocentric, history of the Commons.

The Romans had three types of property:

• res privatae, which consisted of things that could be possessed by an individual or family
• res publicae, things built or set aside for public use by the state like roads and public buildings
• res communes, were the things used by all, like air, water and wild animals.

In the United Kingdom during the Middle Ages, the commons were shared lands used by villagers for foraging, hunting , planting crops, and gathering wood. In 1215, the Magna Carta established forests and fisheries as res communes; resources available to all.

Feudal society in England was a strict hierarchy; lords and masters [those with property] over serfs without property. Many serfs escaped into the forest commons to avoid oppression. This was the basis of the Robin Hood stories.

Starting in the 15th and continuing through the mid-17th century, the landed gentry "enclosed" the commons; literally fenced the forests and grazing lands. These lands had been used by the common people for growing food, grazing animals for food and wool. The age old planting practices of the many were replaced by crops planted for the profit of the few. The peasants were forced off the land and into wage slavery, by the enclosing of the commons. Around this time the English prison system was developed to deal with the many displaced peasants whose desperation began to be seen as criminal by the elites.

In 1649, a group of poor men gathered on St. George's Hill in Surrey and began to dig. They planted carrots, parsnips and beans as a way to reclaim the common land. It has been said that within 10 days their numbers had grown to 4 or 5 thousand. The Diggers ordered the lords of the manor to stop cutting down "our common woods and trees...for your private use." Sound familiar? The Diggers were beaten by landowners and their houses were burned. They were charged with trespassing and arrested. By the end of the year, the Diggers were forced from St George's Hill and dispersed. Many landless peasants ended up in the Americas as indentured servants.

Today, corporations are the lords. And they are enclosing the world's commons. Under corporate influence, national governments and trade organizations are out to fence off, or "privatize", all the profit making segments of the commons. Here is one example of this new enclosure movement. Before being allowed to join NAFTA, the Mexican government was required to revoke the claim to the traditional land granted to the peasants The land was re-privatized leading to the Zapatista uprising. The indigenous people knew the value of what they were losing, and they banded together to fight back.

But most of us don't even know what we have, and what we are losing. We don't think in terms of common wealth. We are so used to being fenced out, we don't even notice the fences. The Native Americans saw what was happening and they tried to warn us. But most of us could not understand; because as this country was colonized, so were our minds.

Wikipedia article, History of the Diggers with links to more sites

Declaration by the Diggers of Wellingborough-1650

More about Diggers plus listen to audio of songs

The Zapatista Uprising by Noam Chomsky