Effects of the Plague

             The Effects of The Plague on the
             Economic and Social Life of Europe
             The Black Death is the name later given to the Epidemic of plague that took over Europe between 1347 and 1351. The disease affected all areas of life. It caused chaos wherever it was spread. Depopulation and shortage of labor didn't help the wealthy; a society once based on your amount of wealth (land) was now turning into a battle between the social classes. Wealthy had to pay workers more because there were fewer workers, and workers demanded more money for their work.
             In less than four years the plague had a path of death through Asia, Italy, France, North Africa, Spain and Normandy, it even made its way over the Alps into Switzerland, and continued eastward into Hungary the plague continued by crossing the channel into England, Scotland, and Ireland, and eventually made its way into the northern countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and even as far north as Greenland. With more than one form during the same epidemic, allowed it to spread so fast. The plague had been in almost the entire world.
             That much death could not help but tear economy and social structures apart. Lack of peasants and laborers made wages increase, and the value of land decreased dramatically. For the first time in history the tides turned against wealthy landlords as peasants and serfs gained more power. The shortage in labor lead to the increase of wages. There was an oversupply of goods, and so prices dropped. Between those two things, the standard of living rose.
             Much land could no longer be cultivated. In response, the nobles refused to allow serfs to buy their freedom. Workers were taking advantage of the labor shortage by demanding better terms from their landlords. Governments tried to fix wages, but they laborers would refuse to work. If the landlords would not agree with the terms, the serfs would flee to areas w
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Effects of the Plague. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 00:42, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/74577.html