Meathead
Diamond Member
There parallels between socialism and feudalism, While the serfs doubtless got the short end of the deal,they essentially paid very high taxes in the form of labor, yet were protected against criminals, invaders and crop-failure/famine by the assets of the lords. They could not be bought or sold and were tied to the land. It was essentially a contract which reflects Europe's advanced welfare states of today (high taxes and benefits).Serfs typically entered into an agreement with their master to work in exchange for protection and basic needs being met. Some contracts involved a time period and some sort of compensation at the end of the contract period. No such contracts for slaves.
So while not idyllic, being a serf was preferable to being a slave.