Introduction
The Black Death also called Black Plague, or the Great Mortality, is one of the most appalling diseases in Medieval Europe influencing demographic sustainability. The world knows three plague pandemics: the first, Justinian’s plague (circa AD 541-542), the second called the Black Death (1347-1351) that had secondary waves until the XIX century, and the third that took place in the XIX century. Due to progress in paleogenomics, scientists proved the causing agent of plague was the bacterium Yersinia pestis that is transmitted via contact from an infected animal or human, air, or blood. Three forms of plague are relevant to the forms of the disease: bubonic, lung, and septicaemic.
The most spread forms are bubonic and lung plague, and the latter has shown higher rates of mortality. Bubonic plague received its name due to the appearance of infected lymphatic nodes. The bacterium persists more commonly in the lymphatic system of the groin, armpits, and neck, and increasing pain of the bubonic elements is one of the central symptoms of the disease. The fast spread and its possible causes of the Black Death and its impacts on the European economy are central issues in the history of the second pandemic.
The Acceleration of the Black Death and Its Possible Causes
The spread of the Black Death involved all of Europe, and various data has shown the tendency to acceleration and higher mortality rates within it extend. A study by Earn et al. assessing London Bills of Mortality and Parish Registers has estimated the faster speed of plague spread, so-called acceleration, in XVII century than in XIV century (27707). The possible reasons for that might be the evolution of pathogen or host, shifts in bacterium’s genetic code, ecological and demographic changes, and environmental change (Earn et al. 27708).
The primary issue of plague spreading might be mostly focused on the reservoirs of the disease, which are rats and their fleas, the latter identified as Xenopsylla cheopis. The overflow of bubonic plague mostly spread via rat bites distinguishes the form of the disease among other ones. That is why the Black Death was mostly statistically bubonic plague supported by the big number of rats in European cities. Lung form of plague transmitted from person to person by air took more occasions in XVII century. That can be explained by the increase of human population between XIV and XVII centuries. Closer contact between citizens, low level of hygiene led to a faster spread of the Black Death.
The evolution and gene shift commonly occur with the causing agent when humans create an uncomfortable environment for them. Such changes happen during treatment intake, temperature variations, strong immune system fight, and on many other occasions. One can only suggest the cause of pathogen or human evolution; however, the theory of natural selection should have helped humans to overcome the disease. Europe has lost a significant population after the Black Death, and those who survived the disease or stayed resistant to it should have had genetic specialties in their code or immune system.
Modern research proved that genomes of the pathogens causing the Black Death in London and the Modern Plague are 99.99% similar (Earn et al. 27710). That means, throughout history, the main evolutionary changes happened to individuals, not the bacterium. Humans have always varied with sensitivity towards infection: while some are struggling to fight the disease presenting severe symptoms, the others barely feel it has so-called subclinical forms or even asymptomatic forms.
The Impacts of the Black Death on the European Economy
The demographic changes caused by the Black Death had major impacts on the economy. Using basic economic theory, we see that the population downturn caused an inward shift in both the supply and demand curve. This will lead to a new equilibrium in the economy, with a lower production quantity and lower production price. More trivial, we expect the standard of living to decrease using solely fundamental economic theory, and in this segment, we will explore if this theory holds.
Using relevant academic sources, the plague was highly disruptive, causing lasting impacts in the short and long run of the economy (Jedwab 17). The surprising finding is that the wages and income per capita grew in the short run. The wage increase cannot simply be explained by simple supply and demand curves, so we need to dive deeper into economic theory. This phenomenon can be explained by the scarcity of labor in the market (in contrast to capital), leading to a higher valuation of the labor as input and the increased wages. The increase in income per capita can partly be explained by the increased wages, but also additional factors. Given the large decrease in the human population, lead to a less competitive environment and an abundance of resources left by the dead. These resources were then taken by the remaining population, leaving them a higher disposable income for additional necessary resources.
Europe was arguably the hardest hit continent by the Black Death leading to the descent of between 30-60 percent of the population. Therefore, it is surprising that the plague led to a growth spurt in Europe comparing to the rest of the world (Jedwab 19). This can be explained by several different factors, but the most crucial was the abolishment of serfdom and feudalism. Serfdom was a political and structural system that tied individuals to the land, limiting their freedom and ability for personal development. With Serfdom eliminated, it left most of the farmers self-employed giving them a higher incentive to work hard and thus increasing the surplus of production in society.
With this larger surplus, it left more of the labor force available to other pursuits, such as science, art, and literature. The further development in these areas, led to much innovation and increased efficiency in production creating an even higher surplus compared to the Middle East and Asia. It also built the foundation for the supreme military technology and global supremacy the European continent would enjoy in later centuries.
The Black Death also started the demise of the religious institutions, simply because people lost faith when they saw the devastation and death surrounding them. The power vacuum left by the religious institutions was filled by stronger states. Paying taxes to a state compared to a religious institution gives higher returns for the citizens. This is because the state utilizes more of the available resources to improve and create new infrastructure projects. This enables trade between more distant regions which leads to higher efficiency. Additionally, the state is more capable of providing security for its citizens by building fortresses and having an army. Thus, the decreased power of the church gave the citizens of Europe a higher standard of living and more developed societies.
Hence, the acceleration of the plague is one of the central topics of its history and spread. Even though the actual causes of the vast spread of the infection can only be guessed, it is essential to study the possible influencing factors to understand the disease better. The Black Death, surprisingly, put a positive impact on the European economy and countries’ future growth due to easier access to a resource, improved infrastructure, higher productivity, and technological innovation.
Works Cited
Earn, J. D. David et al. “Acceleration of plague outbreaks in the second pandemic.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 117, no. 44, 2020, pp. 27703-27711.
Jedwab, Remi, et al. “The economic impact of the Black Death.” GMU Working Paper in Economics, no. 20-45, 2020, pp. 1-52.