How Did The Black Death Affect Society

Reactions differed. Some escaped into alcohol, sex, and crime. Others, believing the Black Death to be a punishment from God, attempted to atone for their sins through self-inflicted pain. The Jews became scapegoats. People fled, carrying the plague with them. The resulting labor shortage could benefit peasants, although the demand for products was also reduced. When the ruling classes reduced wage rates there were peasant revolts. The ruling classes quelled the revolts, but social upheaval continued to plague the post-plague world.

i. After the Black Death had wiped out much of the population in Europe, the working class was left smaller. Too much surprise, the Black Death left Europe in the poor/peasant/ working class’ favor. Before the plague, working conditions were poor, and wages were low. With the working class expanding in Europe, it was easy for land owners to find servants and pay them very little. After the plague however, it became increasingly hard to find laborers.

The triggered movement of the black death spread from Asia to Europe and then the Middle East not only affecting the peasants and other lower class people but the middle and higher class, soon later destroying parts of the feudal system and leading into future generations of advanced inventions, science, and medical practices.

After the Black Death, many farmers were killed off leaving the few left as a large pillar of the economy who thrived due to the supply and demand of their crops (Notes). Also the few peasants and people who were homeless before the plague were able to come back to their city, welcomed with many vacant houses that still had valuables and goods from the previous owner (Doc 1). Because of the better economy the manorial system was left behind as many of the serfs and laborers either demanded better pay or left for the many open jobs in towns

When the plague struck lots of the population of slaves and peasants died, which meant that there was a huge struggle for landowners to find workers for their fields. This meant that peasants could demand higher wages and had lots of bargaining power. This is because if landowners didn’t have workers than they wouldn’t be making any money, which would lead to their loss in wealth. Another way the feudal system was changed is that usually skilled artisans and craftsmen handed down their family business to their sons. However if these descendants were dead then craftsmen and artisans had to employ new workers, which meant peasants and slaves acquired more important skills. And finally, because of these reasons there was a growth in the middle class. The middle class are not slaves, but not nobles. This meant the population became more equal and many different jobs arose for people. Changes to the feudal system allowed Europe to grow closer to what we know it as

The lower class workforce was wiped out. The lower class was most affected because of the way they lived. The social impact that the plague had in Europe was massive. The fourteenth century was brutal, nasty, and short.

The Black Plague was a dreadful event that caused suffering in Europe, however it was also a wake up call for humanity. Many people believed that the pandemic was because the gods were angry at humanity for… some reason? After the bodies piled up on the street and pits were made to put them in instead of graves people wondered if the gods really cared about them. Another thing the black plague caused is a new class which was the middle class. Serfs and peasants were dying and the demand for them increased to a colossal extent. There was literally a law that had to be made saying basically you had to be part of a landlord's

Economics and wages soon changed because of the results of the Black Plague. The Black Plague was a deadly era during early European history, that caused mass changes in medicine, economics, and religion.

The many lawmakers died leaving lawbreakers to go unpunished. Society needed many services to be preformed. “At this moment of crisis, if you survived the Black Plague and you were able body, you might have been put to work. Work opportunities were made available to anyone who was alive and could work. Despite any attempt to keep the economy in order supply and demand took over. Wages in the towns soared to two even three times the level they had held in the crowded thirteenth century,” (Herlihy, 48). The poor people started to go from town to town looking to make the most money. “The people who could work changed there tone and wanted money instead of food and shelter. The poor liked the fact that they were getting more money but the enjoyed the great gain on being able to buy more land. How numerous were the famous families, the vast estates, the notable fortunes, that were seen to be left without a rightful successor!”(Boccaccio, 13). Two things were needed to be more economically efficient and that was consumption reduction and production increase. In order to raise production, people would have to get and cultivate more affordable land. With population reduction and higher wages, new agricultural technique needed to be put in place. The new agricultural allowed those that could afford to rent the land a new investment in livestock. In spite of the many new accomplishments the people still want to be more efficient because of the better

As the black death was known to cause mass psychological destruction and fear, it was also able to change features of society like the feudal system for the better. For example, “the black death led to a dramatic decrease in the amount of land under cultivation due to the death of many labourers which proved to be the downfall of many land owners as they would have no way to produce food for themselves or to sell. Many cities began to die as there were unharvested crops that were beginning to rot; this led to reduction in farming as there was no use for it as too many labourers were dying due to the plague”. This shows that society in the 14th century was systematic in terms of people relying on people of lower class to perform tasks such as farming and housework while receiving very little money in return for their services while higher classes had higher paying jobs that allowed them to own their own land and houses and live-in luxury this was known as the feudal

The Black Death had a massive impact on the economy as states were unable to collect taxes from the peasants as the population was more scatter after the Black Death. Additionally there was no produce to sell many as ports were closed to trade. The mass death of the labourers and peasants led to a shift in power as there was a depleted labour pool. Labourers and peasants were able demanded higher wages and better living conditions. In contrast the economic impact of the Black death was felt by the Noblemen as they were forced to raise the wages to encourage people to stay on their land. Not only did the Noblemen need their tax; peasant were also a

           As previously mentioned, financial distinctions faded as a consequence of the plague. The peasant class benefited the most from the economy's sudden inflation, after the Black Death. Peasants found a new rise in wages due to the higher demand for workers. Serfs gained more freedom as they weren't "tied to

Before the spread of the Black Death, there was a Great Famine in Europe, “A terrible famine in 1315-1322 that hit much of Europe after a period of climate change” (McKay et al., 2014, p.325). Even years after the Great Famine, occurred in Europe the prolonged affects enabled European population more vulnerable to economic misfortunes. While the Black Death, had its misfortunes like inflation, high mortality rates, and shortages of food it also had some upside to it as well. “The Black Death did bring on a general European inflation… High mortality produced a fall in production, shortages of goods, and a general rise in prices” (McKay et al., 2014, p.330). As mentioned previously, while the Black Death did have some downsides it also had some advantages. Since so many people were dying, more jobs were available for those who were after all alive and well. Which would lead one to think that ultimately thinking that farm labors could request to be paid more wages; due to the demand in goods and supply among the European Society because of inflation. “It did not last; the English government swiftly brought in laws to stop the free movement of farm labour and restore pre-plague wage levels, fining employers who paid more” (The Economist, 25 Dec. 1999, p. 33. World History In Context). While in reality, what actually ended up taking place

The Black Death affected the European economy in a positive way. The biggest change, good for peasants, was the end of Feudalism. Feudalism is a social triangle that decided who obeyed who and many other unfair standards for all Serfs, the base of the pyramid. Due to the huge population deficit, Serfs were scarce and “Barons were now willing to pay higher wages and offer extra benefits. All their life they had lived off the serfs’ hard work, and were willing to pay them to stay on the manor to continue slaving for them” (Vunguyen). This gave the Serfs more power to ask for higher wages and the freedom to find more work if they do not get what they want. Serfs, or peasants, “began

"The Black Death" is known as the worst natural disaster in European history. The plague spread throughout Europe from 1346-1352. Those who survived lived in constant fear of the plague's return and it did not disappear until the 1600s. Not only were the effects devastating at the time of infection, but during the aftermath as well. "The Black Death" of the fourteenth century dramatically altered Europe's social and economic structure.