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Difficulty: MediumThe Black Death and Social Change

Britain's population was reduced by approximately one-third following a catastrophic plague outbreak in 1348. How did this event alter the power balance within the feudal system?

  1. The scarcity of labor empowered surviving workers to demand higher pay, which undermined the traditional feudal structure.Answer
  2. B
    The nobility used the population decline to introduce the Domesday Book as a way to control the surviving peasants.
  3. C
    Landowners were able to significantly reduce wages because there were fewer people to compete for the available food.
  4. D
    The social hierarchy became more rigid, as the king granted all remaining land directly to the church to manage.

Answer

The scarcity of labor following the 1348 plague empowered surviving workers to demand higher wages, leading to the eventual decline of the feudal system.
The correct answer is correct because the massive population loss in 1348 created a severe labor shortage. This economic shift meant that the surviving peasants and laborers were in high demand, allowing them to negotiate for better pay and move more freely. These changes broke the rigid ties of the feudal system, where peasants were previously bound to the land of their lords.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the arrival year and immediate impact of the Black Death.
The plague reached Britain in 1348 and killed approximately one-third of the population.
Establishing the scale of the demographic catastrophe is essential to understanding the subsequent social changes.
2
Analyze the economic effect of a reduced workforce on the labor market.
A shortage of labor meant that landowners had to compete for workers.
When labor is scarce, the value of that labor increases according to supply and demand.
3
Determine the impact on the feudal social structure.
Peasants demanded higher wages and more freedom, which weakened the control of the nobility and led to the decline of the feudal system.
The shift in economic power from landowners to laborers directly undermined the hierarchy of serfdom and feudalism.

Key Concept

The socioeconomic consequences of the Black Death (1348) and its role in the decline of feudalism.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

The Black Death and Social Change

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