What Are The Short-Term Effects Of The Black Death

Humanities – Black Death (Essay)
“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” ― Charles Darwin. The immediate pains of the Black Death were worth the long-term gains. Without this catastrophic event we may never have experienced the freedoms we enjoy today. Because of the Black Death, people became less restricted by the rules that the church and the feudal system enforced. This allowed the people freedom and choice. Also, without the experience of the plague, our medical knowledge wouldn’t be as advanced as it is today. Even though the devastation of the Black Death horrifically changed the lives of thousands, the remaining citizens have adapted to the outcome and change that
the Black Death brought. Without this dreadful ordeal we wouldn’t have this wonderful life we all enjoy today.
The short-term effects of the Black Plague had a ruthless impact on the Middle Ages and the medieval people’s way of life.
The black plague killed an estimated 75–200 million people in the 14th century. It is estimated that between one-quarter and two-thirds of the European population (35 million people) died from the outbreak between 1348 and 1350. This reduction in citizens lead to scarce labour. The Black Death not only generated a massive loss in population, but also caused famine. This loss is because labourers were dying of the sickness, fields were unploughed, wheat was not sowed and vines not trimmed leading to a shortage of food and insignificant food income. Source A shows the percentage of the deaths caused by the Black Death in Europe. Families were devastated as they watched relatives die. There was segregation of the sick and friends and family were forced to abandon the affected, leading to a breakdown in the family unit. The Black Death also triggered ethnic hatred on a massive scale. A group of lay extremists called the flagellants emerged. They directly challenged the power of the church. They began to blame themselves for the black plague and punished themselves through pain and suffering. They walked the streets, stripped at the waist, and in large groups. Source B shows a contemporary view of the flagellants as they torcher themselves by whipping themselves. These short-term effects also triggered the long-term effects which impacted on the
modern world and the people’s way of life.
The Black Death brought a massive change in social and political structures. These are some of the long-term effects that transformed the modern world for the better. Before the Black Death hit Europe, all elements of daily life were under the influence of the church. When the plague arrived, people believed it to be a punishment of God. Therefore, they often turned to the Church for help. But since the priests and bishops could not actually offer a cure or even an explanation, the Catholic Church lost a lot of its influence. For many people their view of the world changed drastically. As said by Jean de Venette in Source C “Men in Germany, Flanders, Hainault and Lorraine uprose and began a new sect on their own authority.” These men thought the plague was a punishment from god and therefore punished themselves just like Jesus did when he sacrificed himself. This is also an example of the reactions people had to the black plague. During the black plague, there was no stable government and people were running riot. One reason for the lack of rule was because the government didn’t know what to do. They had no idea how the plague spread or how to treat it. While the plague impacted all classes; it killed mostly the lower-class peasants, who were the ones that the feudal system relied on as they did all the work. Once their numbers dropped, they had more leverage over the lords because there were fewer people to work. The skills of the peasants were in large demand. After the Black Death, wages increased and it was difficult to get workers as people would ask for more land, higher wages and less rent. These changes in the governmental and social structure rules due to the Black Death changed life massively and affected modern world for the better.
The Black Death set the stage for more modern medicine and led to realistic realisations and treatments that changed public health and hospital management today.
The Black Death led to new knowledge and awareness. The biggest realisation the Black Death brought was the idea that the Black Death was ‘contagious.’ It was realised that contact with someone with the plague or even with their clothing was dangerous. They discovered that the plague was spread through tiny rat fleas, as these fleas jumped on rats and other rodents and infected them. When the rats died the fleas fed on human beings. Source D shows the cycle in which people were infected with the black plague. It displays how the plague started and progressed. Doctors also became more experienced by ruling out the treatments that didn’t work. They learnt to keep the streets clean and free from disease. By changing and improving the hygiene situation they could stop the plague and many other diseases. The Middle Ages doctors learnt many important facts because of the Black Death. As you can see in Source E, medieval people learnt that “The streets should be cleaned of all human and animal waste. It should be taken by a cart to a field outside of the village and burnt. All bodies should be buried in deep pits outside of the village and their clothes should also be burnt.” This is the first idea and realisation of hygiene and how it can prevent plagues and sicknesses. The experience that the black plague
impacted on the medieval civilisations lead to discoveries and findings that changed and influenced the modern world’s medical knowledge and treatments.
The Black Death marked the end of the middle ages and the start of the modern age. It brought a new vision of hope and humanity. The long-term effects were certainly worth the short term effects as they initiated an improvement in the standard of living. Although this plague brought many deaths and devastation, by the end of the plague there was a new way of living. The church and the feudal system no longer controlled the people, the medical knowledge of doctors expanded and the towns people all became more hygienic. In conclusion, the long-term gains were worth the short-term pains.