The Rapid Rise of Population in much of Europe in the 18th Century

The Rapid Rise of Population in much of Europe in the 18th Century

In Europe life in the 17th century remained a struggle due to the high rates of poverty with landlord and tax collectors. Throughout the course of the eighteenth century, the European economy emerged for the long crisis of the seventeen-century. Population rates resumed its growth, while colonial empires expanded and developed since more mouths needed to be feed and more hands needed to be employed. The contribution to the rapid rise of population in much of Europe included factors such as Public Health, Nutrition/Agriculture, and Transportation.

Firstly one of the primary reasons behind the rise of population was the increase in Public Heath. The basic cause of European population increase as a whole was a decline in death rates. The primary reason in the decline of death was the mysterious disappearance of the bubonic plague. Advances in medical knowledge did not contribute much to reducing the death rate, but the most important was the inoculation against small pox. Women had more babies than before because new opportunities for employment in rural industries allowed them to marry at an earlier age. Improvements in the water supply and sewage resulted in somewhat better public health and helped reduce such diseases as typhoid and typhus in the urban areas of Europe. The improvements in water supply and the drainage of swamps also reduced Europe’s largest insect population. Flies and mosquitos played a major role in spreading diseases. Therefore public health measures helped the decline in morality that began with the disappearance of plague, which continued in the early nineteenth century.

Secondly another great outpouring of population growth was the advance in Nutrition. The terrible ravages of the Black Death caused a sharp drop in population and food prices. Farmers brought new land into cultivation and urban settlements grew significantly. Humans became more successful in their efforts to safeguard the supply of food. The eighteen-century was a time of considerable canal and road building in Western Europe, which increased the transportation. These advances in transportation lessened the impact of local crop failure and famine and enabled starvation to be less frequent. Many elements combined in this production, but the key was new ways of rotating crops that allowed farmers to forgo the unproductive fallow period altogether and maintain their land in continuous cultivation. The secret to eliminating the fallow lay in deliberating alternating grain with crops that restored nutrients to the soil, such as peas and beans, root crops such as turnips and potatoes, and clover and other grasses. Clover was important since it restored nitrogen directly to the soil throughout roots. The factors of Nature and Agriculture paved the way for population increase.

Lastly the eighteenth century was a time of considerable canal and road building in Western Europe. The advances in transportation became more successful in efforts to safeguard supply food, which lessened the impact of local crop failure and famine and later enabled starvation to be less frequent. Since the knowledge in transportation grew it opened up a new path for emergency supplies to be brought in and enabled localized starvation to be less frequent.

The expansion in Europe marked the outpouring of population growth through the growth of rural industry in the eighteenth century. The contribution to the rise of population in Europe included factors such as Public Health, Nutrition/Agriculture, and Transportation. New developments in agricultural technology and methods brought a end to poverty and increased population.