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How Did The Bubonic Plague Affect Society

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The Bubonic Plague, other wise known as the Black Death, was a devastating pandemic that swept through Europe in the late 1340s and the early 1350s. The Bubonic Plague was thought to have originated in central Asia. There it was thought to have spread throughout Europe from rats and fleas that were carried from central Asia to Europe by merchant ships. The Bubonic Plague had a devastating effect on economic, religious, social, and cultural aspects in Europe. The Bubonic Plague had a profound effect on religion in Europe. As a result of the Bubonic Plague, faith drastically decreased in the church. Many people questioned the church and their beliefs because they learned that the church could not keep them from getting the Black Death (“Cultural …show more content…

After the Black Death struck Europe, the economy in Europe underwent an abrupt and extreme inflation. The prices of imported and locally produced goods increased due to the difficulty, and the danger, that came with producing them (“Social and Economic Effects of the Plague”).It was dangerous to produce certain goods because the goods could have been produced by someone who was infected, or they could have been imported from a town that was infected with the plague. However, the prices of the goods soon plummeted due to the surplus of goods (“Cultural and Economic Effects of the Black Death”). There was a surplus of goods because the population had decreased, but the same amount of goods were still being produced. So, the ratio of products, or goods, to people was uneven. During the late 1340s the standards of living for the peasants began to increase. According to Routt, many peasants were able to afford things that they were not able to before due to the surplus and the plummet of the prices of goods. Since many of the workers died because of the Black Death, many employers were left without workers. These employers grudgingly employed the peasants since they were the only people left who were not infected and who did not have jobs. The Black Death had a profound effect agriculture. Many fields went unploughed, harvests were not brought, and many animals died because the workers who had done …show more content…

During the 1340s and 1350s, the art, literature, and music that was composed in Europe took a dark turn. The art from that time period was full of depictions of the “Angel of Death,” the “Kiss of Death,” destruction, and sadness (“Cultural and Economic Effects of the Black Death”). Drawings and paintings also depicted ghost towns in which there were no people because they had all died from the Bubonic Plague (“Cultural and Economic Effects of the Black Death”). The literature that was written during the time that the Black Death was adamant in Europe was also had an exceedingly somber tone. After many of the people began to fall due to sickness, the funerals soon became short;that is, if there was even a funeral held (“Social and Economic Effects of the Plague”). There was simply not enough time to give a proper funeral to each person who was taken by the plague. Many people also fled from their cities once they discovered that people were beginning to get infected . People had many different reactions to the Bubonic Plague. Some of the people, in fear that they would get the Black Death, even left their families if their families were reluctant to leave their hometowns (“Social and Economic Effects of the Plague”). Others lived their lives the way that they had always lived them. Perhaps they believed that if they ignored the Black Death, then it would go away. Some people even

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