Serfs were tied to the land, and produced what they actually, directly used, as well as traded their surplus for goods. The rise of capitalism came alongside expelling the serfs from the land, turning them into wage laborers.
The lords did own the land, but expelling the serfs could not be done simply by telling the serfs to leave. There was a large accumulation that was forced on the serfs. Feudalism was a fundamentally distinct class society from capitalism.
Basically we’re all serfs.
And increasingly ill-treated ones.
Serfs were tied to the land, and produced what they actually, directly used, as well as traded their surplus for goods. The rise of capitalism came alongside expelling the serfs from the land, turning them into wage laborers.
The serfs could be expelled because while the serfs were not free to leave, it was the lords who actually owned the land.
The analogy is not prefect, but not terrible.
The lords did own the land, but expelling the serfs could not be done simply by telling the serfs to leave. There was a large accumulation that was forced on the serfs. Feudalism was a fundamentally distinct class society from capitalism.