Abstract: The urban-rural relations is an important part of economic and social development, and research on it is beneficial to the judgement and definition of the nature of society, and to the exploration of the impetus and process of economic and social changes and transformation. In the world's history, the development of urban-rural relations in Europe is the most typical. This paper takes Marx's relevant discussion as the theoretical basis, on which to have a preliminary exploration into the evolutional trajectory of urban-rural relations in Europe. The connotation of ruralized cities in ancient society lies in the fact that cities were based on land property and agriculture, cities were the general representative of the agricultural society, urban life took rural social life as the keynote, and the fate of cities was also tied to the countryside. The cities and rural areas in Medieval Europe were in opposition, rural society ruled cities politically, and cities exploited the countryside economically. At the same time, the urban and rural areas were symbiotic and interdependent, and the benign interaction between them promoted economic development and social progress. The industrialization in modern Europe has promoted rural urbanization, which also includes the subordination of the countryside to cities. Modern Europe has become an urban society. Led by cities, Europe has achieved the ideal goal of urban and rural integration, and that of urban and rural integrated development.

Keyword: Europe; urban-rural relationship; classical times; Medieval Times; modern times;

Published on Journal of Xiangtan University(Philosophy and Social Sciences), Issue 4, 2022.