Ap Euro Dbq

During the Middle Ages, feudalism was common and people lived mainly under their lords. Peasants were assigned to work on their lord’s land and were not able to move around freely. Peasants generally lived under their lords and would only get the surplus food after they provided for their lords in exchange for the use of the land. In the late Middle Ages, peasants started fleeing local king owned communities and went to vast, open, and totally uninhabited land. The reason why this shifted is that there were opportunities to not only gain land but also to trade and receive goods, rather than farm for a living. In the Middle Ages, the growth of towns and trade had the most transformative effect because for the first time ever it allowed lower
Anywhere between seventy five million to two hundred million people died as a result of the Plague, known as the Black Death. The Plague did not just affect the Peasants, as people died no matter the social class. This left empty spaces in the nation, that peasants could fill in and escape their lords feudalistic boundaries. However, without the help of towns and trade, these peasants would not have had many opportunities to flourish as they did.

The opportunities that were made available to the lower class as a result of towns and trade had a significant impact on society. The shift of Serfs away from feudalism boosted social life and created a much more pleasant lifestyle for Serfs among others. After the Towns and Trade revolution, artisans, merchants and traders formed a new social class. Because of this, people generally lived with people of their class. For example, in a middle class village there would be mostly middle class people living there. Also, because this new middle class made up of former Serfs moved around, they tended to live near churches or have one in their neighborhood. This created communities of same minded religious people. This whole new middle class was good because it allowed for social mobility. Having the ability to work in a different field from your father was a great
For example, crusaders brought back many things from Europe including luxury goods. This made previously unavailable items accessible to the general public. Also, Guilds were created as a form of protection for certain professions. If you were a shoemaker, you would not be authorized to sell shoes unless you were part of the Guild. They provided a sort of protection in case of disaster to an individual's company and standardized wages and quality of products. Banks were made by these artisans creating a safe space for all of the town's money. All of this is significant because it meant that these former Serfs further advanced the evolution of the economy. The trade further developed the economic security of the towns which fostered stronger trade. In the Middle Ages, the growth of towns and trade had the most transformative effect because for the first time ever it allowed lower classmen the ability to own land and it provided new opportunities and professions.

A great deal of opportunities were created for lower classmen during the Middle Ages due to the growth of Towns and Trade. The fact that they could own land, set up Serfs among other lower classmen for success. Also, Serfs being able to leave their lord’s feudalistic land, set them up socially and economically to move to the middle class. Socially, they set up communities and expanded their land. Economically, they made huge leaps