Introduction.
This paper seeks to give an overview of the Black Death menace and also expound on the various causes of its occurrence. The paper also seeks to explain the effects it had on the societies affected and how it eventually subsided.
In the long histories of the world and human existence, Black Death was a historical landmark that was the deadliest and widespread pandemic that claimed a rough estimate of between 75-200 million people. The disease is said to have destroyed between 30%- 60% of the population in Europe. The impact of this menace was at its peak in Europe at around 1348-1350. Black Death was a bubonic plague caused by a bacterium, yersnia pestis. The plague Bacillus is believed to have developed in or near China and transmitted via several routes. It eventually made its way into Asia, Europe and Africa by 1351.The plague was a chronic condition to the extent that the victims died in between two and seven days of infection. The pandemic was usually spread by fleas in the black rats which travelled on merchant ships. It presented itself in three forms which were interrelated: the Bubonic variant, which had the signs of swellings around the neck, armpits and groin, The Pneumonic plague, which was exhibited in the respiratory system and could be spread by breathing, and the septicemic strain which could manifest itself in the blood. It originated from the central Asia in 1338/1339 reaching China and India by 1346. It further hit the black sea port of kafla in 1347.By 1351, it was already in Scandinavia, Kiev and Russia and its impact was really devastating and claiming many live.
Consequences of the pandemic
Effects on the economy and social systems
Being a killer disease, the plague was a heavy blow to the administration systems of many governments. The effect of the disease on the rural population was that it depleted the labor force. A small labor force would imply a rise in the wage rate due to the high demand for the same. The bargaining powers of the tenants served as a power to command higher wages since the laborers were less than the demand. This rise in wages compelled the merchant farmers to employ more fringe benefits for their laborers so as to retain them at work; otherwise they could go to where the terms of work were favorable. The massive deaths of people left large tracts of land unoccupied and unproductive. This could directly translate to low food production and a decline in trade. The economic impact could become lethal in the long run rather than the short run. The new systems of higher wages saw the rise of a new class of middle class who were the direct beneficiaries of the new high wages. Sociologically, there arose a serious wrangle between the Jews and Christians due to the selective nature of the disease. The Jews were not hit hard by the pandemic and so the Christians could blame their fate on Jews. This bred an acute social disconnect and strain between the Jews and Christians. The ill feelings between the members of the society created an unfavorable social environment for any social progress: blame game became the new substitute for socialization. There was an inevitable breakdown as a brother could abandon a brother who was infected to avoid an infection of the same. Those who became victims of the disease found themselves victims of social neglect and stigma. The plague was a real threat to social integration.
Effects on religion
The plague caused serious detrimental repercussions to the religion of that particular time. Many people believed that God was punishing people for their sins. The people developed the belief that their god had neglected his duty of protecting them or even their faith was not at good levels to secure salvation from such menace. This gave the religious arena a very different turn of events because the priests could avoid their duty and run in to hiding. Eventually, the church of that time was short of the clergy as well as the congregation. Due to the persistence of the pandemic, Most religious people lost their faith, after all God could not save them from the plague, and some despaired and wrote that God was inexistent, he had failed seriously in his duty over his people. The persistence of the trend saw the serious fall of religion and such institutions in all the affected regions. Faith in God had failed to save the people from the adversaries of the pandemic and as such, they lost trust in religion. Religious optimism declined in the region until the late 1500’s.
Psychological effects.
The advent of the pandemic instilled the need for a socially stable society if life was to endure. The mindset of the population faced a major turn because the people wanted to uphold their society and socialization. Despite the risks of infection, compassion developed in the minds of many people who were survivors of the pandemic. They embraced solidarity and togetherness dictated by the desire to rebuild the fallen society. The pandemic also greatly contributed to the developments of historical literature and art because the people/ artistes had a topic to create music, photos, and plays about.
References
The Decameron Web
<http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/plague/ >
The BBC website,
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_01.shtml>
Secondary sources.
<http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/plague/effects/social.php>
<http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/index.php>
<http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/plague/perspectives/petrarca.php>
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_01.shtml>
<http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/plague/origins/spread.php>
<http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/texts/>
