Turning Point of Black Death Research Assignment

Turning Point of Black Death
Name:
Course:
Instructor:
Date:
In the history of Europe Civilization, Black Death was a major turning point. The pneumonic and bubonic plaques threw the nation into political, social and economic turmoil. Europe had already had it rough economically since the warfare effects had prolonged and the cultivation was rapidly declining. Populations decreased, and others moved out. This paper discussed the turning point of Black Death; how it started, its effects and how it ended.
The bubonic plaque started in Asia and swept through Europe. It was a deadly disease caused by the fleas’ bites infected by the black rats. The symptoms of the disease included wasbuboes- swollen, hard, painful lymph filled with pus and blood. They did burst when they turned black. This was accompanied by severe body aches, chills, fever and headaches. The name ‘Black Death’ was due to the fact that blood accumulated under the skin and made the skin to turn black. External factors that led to a worldwide spread of the disease included military invasion, the international trade which lead to the spread of black rats. Others include overpopulation and poor sanitation which accelerated the spread.
Like a giant scythe, the plague swept through Europe. Many rural areas lost almost half of their population. People sought isolation; desperately avoiding the infection. The cities were abandoned as people flew to the countryside. The rural inhabitants and farmers due to the vast number of people moving to the countryside were forced to move away from their farms thus the decline in Agriculture.
One effect of Black Death was increased employment opportunities for the lower class. The decline in population and increased deaths required an increased demand for physicians, priests, and gravediggers to cater for the increasing needs. This was both from the church and government positions. The previous employees who died left vacancies. Other people were bribed by free education, free lodging, and tax exemptions so that they could get trained and provide skilled labor. This high demand for labor increased the wages of the low class thus improving their living standards.
The upper class of the feudal system was faced with negative effects, especially after the Black Death pandemic. They had to pay highly for labor, and their lands had drastically lost value. The Black Death ditched the system of coercion and gave birth to the system of negotiation due to the weakened positions of landlords. This thus changed the social structure of Europe.
Humanity decreased as people changed their view on death. Families, friends, and other relationships were brought to a halt. People employed the quarantine method to avoid infection thus abandoning their loved ones. The result is that it caused more deaths, panic, and depressi...