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How Did The Black Death Affect Society

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What becomes of the people who survive a major epidemic? The people who live through a large-scale plague are changed forever. The Black Death was an epidemic that caused mass devastation in the Middle Ages. The lower class saw a larger number of fatalities which greatly affected the way they lived their lives. The lower class also saw their whole lifestyle change because of the Black Death. With all of the evidence provided, the Black Death impacted the lives of the lower class more than the upper class.
No one would have ever guessed the devastation that a few ships could have brought. The Black Death was a horrible illness that killed many people throughout Europe. According to History.com, the plague arrived in Europe in 1347 on ships. …show more content…

The higher number of fatalities could have made families lose their source of income because the person in the family that worked may have died. This would lead the family into a financial crisis because they no longer had money coming into the household. This instance could hold true for any member of the household. If the mother died, there would not be a person to care for the children and cook meals for the children. If the father died, there would be no one in the family to work and take care of the home. This problem greatly affected the peasant class and led to more changes in their life. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, after the Black Death, the jobs that the lower class usually worked were in high demand. This was because so many people died from the plague and employers lost many farm hands. To try to get the help they needed, some landowners started to offer higher wages for peasants (The Finer Times). The peasants knew that employers needed their help, so they were able to make different demands like higher wages. The lower class workers started to travel around to find the best offers for their services. It was the first time in their life that peasants had some power of their own. This power came from the aftermath of the Black Death. The aftermath of the plague affected the lower class by allowing them to start a better life for themselves. Their

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