The Destructive Effects of the Black Death to the European Society
The outburst of Black Death occurred in 1348, and several people died. The plague was so contagious, and it resulted in the death of several people, and although the exact number of deaths does not exist, it is believed that more than 200 million people died. Black Death resulted in several effects, some of which can still be felt today. According to Gottfried (2010), the effects included: social, economic, health and political effects.
The death of many people led to economic effects which were significant.
Agriculture was negatively impacted in several ways including; reduction in labor force, and reduction in agricultural prices. These endangered the fortunes and the aristocratic power, whose dominance and wealth were majorly based on agriculture. Moreover, the massive deaths led to rising in wages, giving the labor providers a chance to improve their living standards.
According to Byrne Black Death did set a stage for the modern medicine and subsequently steered the changes in the public health and hospital set ups.
Scholars were shock by the plague, and this made them put more emphasis on clinical medicine. Higher education institutions were established, and more research centers were established. The researchers wanted to get a lasting solution to the plague that had hit Europe and, avoid similar occurrences in future. These led to dynamic changes that can be witnessed with the evolution of the modern medicine. They succeeded in their work, and the modern medicine can be attributed to them (Byrne, 2004).
Another notable effect of the Black Death is that the survivors developed mistrust in God.
Instead of giving thanks for being among the few who survived, the survivors believed that God did not care for them. Some even doubted the existence of God. The diseased had turned to the church for help which the Church could not offer. Moreover, the priests and doctors who were constantly in contact with the sick developed serious fatalities which led to more doubts in religion (Gottfried 2010).
Conclusively, the Black Death radically altered several aspects of European society. The plague disoriented all aspects such that when it was finally contained, some developed resistance and Europe had to start life afresh. Thus the effects were mainly destructive to the European society.
References
- Byrne, J. P. (2004). The Black Death. Greenwood Publishing Group. Gottfried, R. S. (2010). Black death. Simon and Schuster.
