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Question: What was the economic impact of the Black Death!?
What about peasant revolts!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


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To sum it up:

-killed trade, merchants were too scare to travel anymore!.

-de-urbanized Europe, people fled from the cities and towns and back into the rural areas!. Manufacturing also suffer a hit as workers die off or fled!.

-Overall discouraged people to stay home, so affected the market demand for goods as well!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The Black Death of the 14th Century is generally believed to have been Bubonic Plague!. Worldwide, it probably killed around 75 million people of whom somewhere between one-third and two-thirds were in Europe!. As a result, Europe lost a vast number of its labouring force!. This meant that farm labour was unavailable to plant and tend crops!. Supply dwindled, and prices for goods rose!.

While many city dwellers moved to the country to avoid the plague, many in the country moved to the cities in hopes of getting employment!. The times were ripe for inflation and in many countries the governments stepped in to bring the economies back into line!.

Edward III of England, in the middle of the century, instituted the "Statute of Labourers" which read, in part,

"Every man and woman of our realm of England, of what condition he be, free or bond, able in body, and within the age of sixty years, not living in merchandize, nor exercising any craft, nor having all his own whereof he may live, nor land of his own about whose tillage he may occupy himself, and not serving any other; if he'd be required to serve in suitable service, his estate considered, he shall be bound to serve him which shall so require him; and take only the wages, livery, meed, or salary which were accustomed to be given in the places where he oweth to serve!."

This "wage fixing" was a case of the government giving in to the demands of the ruling classes!. Nonetheless, it did begin to bring down inflation!. At the same time, the shortage of labour and the increase in mobility contributed to the decline of serfdom!.

The peasant revolts, particularly the great rising of 1381, was not a direct result of the Black Death, but was probably tied to the economic consequences of the plague!. The Statute of Labourers, which effectively fixed wages at pre-plague levels was another factor which, in all probability, led to the uprisings!.Www@QuestionHome@Com