Feudalism was also an economic system, with the peasants working the land and keeping some of their production to feed themselves, while giving the rest to the landowner whose land they worked. The small-scale local nature of the feudal system was perfect for a time and place where the threats to people's safety were also small-scale and local. But of course, this system reinforces the status quo. There's little freedom and absolutely no social mobility. Peasants could never work their way up to lords, and they almost never left their villages. Thanks, Thought Bubble. One more point that's really interesting from a world history perspective.