372 In Säter bailiwick, the commoners were, however, active in their attempts to obtain help. This is especially true of the 1770’s when poor harvests and grain shortages were more serious. The parishes turned in, either individually or with other parishes, solicitations for loans or petitioned the county governor in Falun. It is striking that the representatives of the peasants in the parliament were active, both on the local level and in Stockholm, in obtaining grain for their electors. In these exertions, the strong feeling of community found in the parishes of Dalecarlia can be observed. As security for the loans, the peasants went in with their property »one for all and all for one». A pronounced nation-wide discontent concerning the distribution and handling of grain given in relief in 1772, where the local civil officials had played a key role, led the state authorities to yield to the general opinion. The distribution of the grain loans of 1773 was to be administered on a local level by representatives of all four estates — nobles, clergy, burghers and peasants. In Kopparberg county, local discontent was, moreover, so great that the county governor decided that division and distribution in the future was to be carried out by the parish priests and peasant law assessors assisted by persons of rank. The formal decisions were to be made at the parish meeting where the peasants had a great deal of influence. Bailiffs and local bailiffs fromnow on had a subordinate position in this question. The success of the Dalecarlia peasants strengthens the general picture of an »area of resistance», in the same sense that modern German research has shown. Thanks to the fact that the gram loans were not treated as tax debts, there was no definite rule on periods of repayment. In reality, the repayment often extended over several years and thereby became a type of financial sustenance. The Crown’s demand for goods-in-kind was a weak link in the fiscal system. This impression is strengthened by my investigation of the years of dearth. In the bailiwick of Säter, there were, especially during the 1770’s, a number of local conflicts which affected the relations of the peasants to the recipients of allotment - among others to the county governor. The peasants throughout made use of positive-law arguments, that is, they referred to older rules and regulations. At the same time, however, there were arguments based on grounds of fairness, one referred to »justness». The lenient tax collection policies show that the state had a different class basis at the end of the Age of Liberty than during the Age of Caroline absolutism. In the earlier period, freeholdings had been confiscated by the Crown and military execution had been applied. The results of chapters 5—6 which are based on the records of the administration are tested in chapter 7 in the light of the inspection trips of the AttorneyGeneral of 1750—53 and 1773—74 with material stemming froma unique situation where an inspection of the administration is a central issue. Duringboth of these inspection journeys, various types of abuse came to light which modify
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