Feudalism

[Dimentio]

I think the idea that feudalism ended (in Europe) during the revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries is simplicistic, given that Europe had continuously moved away from feudalism since the 14th century. One of the greatest steps for the demise of the feudalism was the order born out of the Peace of Westphalia which established the idea that the state was the legitimate carrier of political action within the borders of Europe.

[Kléber]

That depends on how you define feudalism I guess. The Marxist definition, correct me if wrong, refers purely to the production relations, ie a system of exploitation based on hereditary obligations where the laborers are not enslaved. Other definitions are much more complex and include superstructural aspects of European feudalism, particularly a weak central government. Thus according to some historians, China was feudalist every time it was divided into fighting kingdoms, but stopped being feudalist whenever one of them unified the country.

[Joe_Germinal]

That depends on how you define feudalism I guess. The Marxist definition, correct me if wrong, refers purely to the production relations, ie a system of exploitation based on hereditary obligations where the laborers are not enslaved.

Yes. It's important to understand the rise and fall of modes of production dialectically. Every mode of production has class contradictions which over a period of time lead to its downfall and replacement by a new mode of production. The end result looks like a sudden revolutionary change, but is indeed the end result of a long and often invisible historical process.