What major problems did European States face in the fourteenth century - Essay Example

The Major Problems that Europe Faced in the 14th Century The continent of Europe faced quite a number of problems in the 14th Century. One of the predicaments is like the Black Death plague that ended up causing paralysis to victims, led to the termination of trade besides the state of shock that survivors were left with. This plague would happen after a certain period and it impacted mostly on children. The plague lasted in this continent for the period of the 14th century until 1399 and it only returned again in the 17th century.

The demography of Europe was changed to a great extent by this plague and besides the impact of the plague the birth rates generally declined during this period. The population of Europe had reduced by a half by the time the 15th Century set in as compared to the mid 1300s. The problem of this Black Death plague affected Europe in that there was shortage of labor since smaller portions of land were under cultivation. Due to the shortage of labor the serfs got a vantage position when it came to bargaining their wages since they were in high demand.

In reaction to this, the governments tried to control the wages by fixing them. However, this was all in vain since the predicament of labor shortage continued to persist. Serfs would simply offer their services to the landlords who would be ready to pay higher wages as opposed to those who stuck to the system set by the government. Numerous peasants called for the society’s restructuring and there was the demanding of a bit of democracy as well as the stoppage of aristocratic privileges and rights.

After the dismissal of these demands for a better lifestyle by the nobility there was a great loss as regards the commoners. There was fiasco everywhere in Europe and thus the Rebellion in France and England in years 1358 and 1381 respectively were just a shadow of the real deal. All the rebellions were not a success. The separation of the manor approach to agriculture started as a result of the rebellions, though. The land rent system took over and the subsequent period after that had the peasant’s freedom recognized.

The system is still there in the day-to-day Europe. However, the demand by the peasants to own their land resulted to a lot of migration to other areas like Australia, Russia, Americas and Africa. Land was never adequate and thus sharing it among sons would lead to decisions that were not economically feasible. High wage levels led to a rise in inflation levels and for survival purposes the small commercial and manufacturing classes made an attempt to maintain the position that they held in society by trying to pass laws that would restrict entry to the industries.

Despite this effort, it all led to demonstrations in the cities and those peasants who did not own land started rioting due to those opportunities that were now being denied to them. In conclusion, it is also good to not that the problems were not only with the general public but even the governments. Governments faced hard times as land got abandoned, and rents could not be paid as a result. Eventually, the taxes income fell and life became harder to control. Free military services were hard to provide and some even caved in.

(Knighton, 1994 p6)Work Cited:Knighton, Henry. The Impact of the Black Death. DENO Partnership. 1994. p6.ReferencesKurtus, Ron. (2011). Kinetic theory of matter. Retrieved 11 October 2011 www.school- forchampions.com/science/matter_kinetic_theory