Making Way into Culture
The Effect on Society
The Black Death had a huge effect on society by causing terror in everyone. It also killed millions of people and tore families apart. The Black Death killed about one third of the population of the entire world. If a child had the plague, the parents would leave the child because they didn't want to get sick with the plague from their children. The birth rate declined enormously, and the census was found to be half of what it was before the outbreak. People also blamed anyone of the Jewish faith for the plague because at the time they were a common scapegoat.
The Black Death had a huge effect on society by causing terror in everyone. It also killed millions of people and tore families apart. The Black Death killed about one third of the population of the entire world. If a child had the plague, the parents would leave the child because they didn't want to get sick with the plague from their children. The birth rate declined enormously, and the census was found to be half of what it was before the outbreak. People also blamed anyone of the Jewish faith for the plague because at the time they were a common scapegoat.
Influences on Literature, Religion, and Pop Culture
During the horrendous murder of millions, nearly billions, of people in the 1300s, something happened. Suddenly, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. As awful as it sounds, all those people dying actually had a good result. Before, food had been tight. Almost every family was poverty stricken, too busy worrying about where their next meal would come from to let their imagination really flow. Unless it was their job, people would never create things on their own. Due to the sudden lack of people, there was more food to grow and less mouths to feed. No longer were their minds constantly honed in on how they were going to survive; they had room to grow and live and make things. The lack of lives kick-started the renaissance in a way, creating a bridge for creative minds to walk across, away from the fear of dying. Not to mention, thanks to the European’s twisted sense of humor, that common nursery song children sing as they play, known as ‘Ring-a-ring o’ roses’ was actually based on Black Death. Oh yes. Children sing what, when delved into, is a horrific song, about growing ill and dying. Be careful what you sing to your kids in the future. Another important influence that the Black Plague had in the second outbreak was all the effects that it had on society. People of the Jewish faith were persecuted more often due to the fact that everyone was at loss as to how the plague started. Entire Jewish settlements were exterminated in some cases. Ethnic hatred was the underlying factor, flared by these frustrating times. In fact, very few Jews perished from the Bubonic Plague, so it was believed by many that the plague was a Jewish conspiracy, or a curse from God for allowing Jews into their lands. Because there was no knowledge of micro-organisms during that time, people had no idea that the reason the Jews didn't get sick was because their settlements were typically isolated, and Jews typically possessed better hygiene, due to religious practices. Another effect was that peasant revolts became common due to the inability of governments to solve the plague. Monarchs & nobles compounded matters by instituting wage controls, despite the fact that wages should have increased due to a shortage of labor supply. Philosophical questioning and critical analysis of life, and the world, occurred as well in the Post-Black Death era. Black Death was seen as a curse back then, as viruses and bacteria were not yet understood by humanity. Of course, the Church was powerless to stop the plague; promises and predictions were unfulfilled, while prayers and devotion to the church did nothing to even slow the rampant disease and death. All of this brought even the most avid of believers to doubt their faith. During these times, it was believed that the world was ending, however, survivors and their posterity would go on to actually thrive in the post-Black Death world, and would play a part in the Renaissance and Enlightenment, as people would dare question and challenge sacred institutions such as the Church and the King. People would seek academic knowledge in place of superstition, which proved useless during the plague.
During the horrendous murder of millions, nearly billions, of people in the 1300s, something happened. Suddenly, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. As awful as it sounds, all those people dying actually had a good result. Before, food had been tight. Almost every family was poverty stricken, too busy worrying about where their next meal would come from to let their imagination really flow. Unless it was their job, people would never create things on their own. Due to the sudden lack of people, there was more food to grow and less mouths to feed. No longer were their minds constantly honed in on how they were going to survive; they had room to grow and live and make things. The lack of lives kick-started the renaissance in a way, creating a bridge for creative minds to walk across, away from the fear of dying. Not to mention, thanks to the European’s twisted sense of humor, that common nursery song children sing as they play, known as ‘Ring-a-ring o’ roses’ was actually based on Black Death. Oh yes. Children sing what, when delved into, is a horrific song, about growing ill and dying. Be careful what you sing to your kids in the future. Another important influence that the Black Plague had in the second outbreak was all the effects that it had on society. People of the Jewish faith were persecuted more often due to the fact that everyone was at loss as to how the plague started. Entire Jewish settlements were exterminated in some cases. Ethnic hatred was the underlying factor, flared by these frustrating times. In fact, very few Jews perished from the Bubonic Plague, so it was believed by many that the plague was a Jewish conspiracy, or a curse from God for allowing Jews into their lands. Because there was no knowledge of micro-organisms during that time, people had no idea that the reason the Jews didn't get sick was because their settlements were typically isolated, and Jews typically possessed better hygiene, due to religious practices. Another effect was that peasant revolts became common due to the inability of governments to solve the plague. Monarchs & nobles compounded matters by instituting wage controls, despite the fact that wages should have increased due to a shortage of labor supply. Philosophical questioning and critical analysis of life, and the world, occurred as well in the Post-Black Death era. Black Death was seen as a curse back then, as viruses and bacteria were not yet understood by humanity. Of course, the Church was powerless to stop the plague; promises and predictions were unfulfilled, while prayers and devotion to the church did nothing to even slow the rampant disease and death. All of this brought even the most avid of believers to doubt their faith. During these times, it was believed that the world was ending, however, survivors and their posterity would go on to actually thrive in the post-Black Death world, and would play a part in the Renaissance and Enlightenment, as people would dare question and challenge sacred institutions such as the Church and the King. People would seek academic knowledge in place of superstition, which proved useless during the plague.