The Reliance on Agriculture

Throughout history, leaders have often risen to power and maintained power because of their ability to ensure that people have food and water. I would argue that in every nation and empire, the leadership structure held power because of its ability to supply food and water. Today, in the twenty-first century, this is still true. When food and water become scarce, governments are in danger.

In feudal times, the very core of the leadership structure was strung together by agriculture.  Peasants worked the fields so their lords had food and money to collect armies of knights.  They then had armies with which to serve the kings.  The relationship between the members of the different levels of the hierarchy relied upon whether or not there was food.  

Another example of how food is linked with government and leadership is the French Revolution.  Preceding the French Revolution, famine and economic hardships had struck France.  The food supply was depleting and prices were skyrocketing. When the French people saw that their leaders were not supplying them with their basic needs (food), they revolted. French Revolution is a radical example of how a shortage of food can tear apart a nation.  The absence of food in France had left a bloody mark.

Because the possession of food is so closely linked to the success and prosperity of a government, modern day governments are in danger of losing power when their citizens’ basic caloric needs are not met. If food prices were to skyrocket and the population at large cannot afford to feed themselves, then governments, especially in underdeveloped nations, find themselves facing destabilization.  People will always look to their leadership to supply them with their basic needs, and when governments cannot deliver these necessities, people will revolt.