Specifically, the peasants had more bargaining power for better conditions because the absolute decrease in their number made each of them more valuable to the ruling class as individuals. There was an increase in peasant revolts, and concessions to the peasantry following the black death partly for this reason.
Comment on Anon isn't worried about population decline
superduperpirate@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Ya know, I have vague memories of reading an argument somewhere that the black plague killed off so many peasants that the surviving ones had materially less shitty conditions for a little while, due to scarcity and all that.
sharkfucker420@lemmy.ml 1 day ago
logos@sh.itjust.works 10 hours ago
Peasants only got the ability to leave the land they were bound to to seek better employment elsewhere after the black plague.
Triasha@lemmy.world 23 hours ago
This is true in places. There are also acounts of places where all the nobility died and the peasants threw weeks long parties.
someguy3@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Yup, labor scarcity meant higher wages and bargaining power.
Varesti@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
Great news, we’re bringing the plague back too!
ladicius@lemmy.world 1 day ago
The actual disease caused by pest bacteria is easily treatable nowadays.
MutantTailThing@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Facilitated by such space age concepts as washing your fucking hands and not drinking the corpse-water.
abbadon420@sh.itjust.works 23 hours ago
That’s “prevention” you’re talking about, not “treatment”, generally considered better, but still.