▁ser f dom ▁meant ▁being ▁able ▁to ▁sell ▁one ' s ▁land ▁and ▁work ▁wherever ▁one ▁desired . ▁" The ▁so - called ▁primitive ▁accum ulation , ▁therefore , ▁is ▁nothing ▁else ▁than ▁the ▁historical ▁process ▁of ▁divor cing ▁the ▁producer ▁from ▁the ▁means ▁of ▁production . ▁It ▁appears ▁as ▁primitive , ▁because ▁it ▁forms ▁the ▁pre - histor ic ▁stage ▁of ▁capital ▁and ▁of ▁the ▁mode ▁of ▁production ▁corresponding ▁with ▁it ." ▁ ▁In ▁a ▁case ▁history ▁of ▁England , ▁Marx ▁described ▁how ▁the ▁ser fs ▁became ▁free ▁pe asant ▁propriet ors ▁and ▁small ▁far mers , ▁who ▁were , ▁over ▁time , ▁for ci b ly ▁ex prop ri ated ▁and ▁driven ▁off ▁the ▁land , ▁forming ▁a ▁property - less ▁pro let ariat . ▁He ▁also ▁claimed ▁that ▁more ▁and ▁more ▁legisl ation ▁was ▁en act ed ▁by ▁the ▁state ▁to ▁control ▁and ▁regiment ▁this ▁new ▁class ▁of ▁w age ▁workers . ▁In ▁the ▁meant ime , ▁the ▁remaining ▁far mers ▁became ▁capital ist ▁far mers ▁operating ▁more ▁and ▁more ▁on ▁a ▁commercial ▁basis ; ▁and ▁gradually , ▁legal ▁mon opol ies ▁prevent ing ▁trade ▁and ▁invest ment ▁by ▁entrepr ene urs ▁were ▁broken ▁up . ▁ ▁Tax es ▁lev ied ▁by ▁the ▁state ▁took ▁the ▁place ▁of ▁labour ▁dues ▁lev ied ▁by ▁the ▁lord . ▁Although ▁ser f dom ▁began ▁its ▁decl ine ▁in ▁Europe ▁in ▁the ▁Middle ▁A ges , ▁it ▁took ▁many ▁hundreds ▁of ▁years ▁to ▁disappear ▁completely . ▁In ▁addition , ▁the ▁strugg les ▁of ▁the