Final answer:
The feudal system required peasants to work on lands leased by nobles and in return, they were given military protection and other services. This stratification system was based on a reciprocal obligation and was foundational in medieval Europe, ultimately declining with the rise of industrialization and capitalism.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the feudal system of stratification, peasants were required to work land leased to them by nobles in exchange for military protection and other services. This system emerged in medieval Europe as a structure based on land ownership and protection.
The society was hierarchical with nobility, such as lords, at the top, placing vassals in charge of land who would, in turn, extract resources and promise military service. The lowest class, the serfs, worked the land and, in exchange for their labor, were provided with a place to live and protection from outside threats.
This reciprocal arrangement was a cornerstone of what is known as manorialism, part of the broader feudal order. Over time, the technological advances of the industrial era and the rise of capitalism saw the feudal system's decline.