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Difficulty: MediumThe Black Death and Social Change

The arrival of the plague in 1348 led to a significant reduction in the population of Britain. How did the resulting labor shortage affect the social structure and the feudal system?

  1. Peasants and workers were able to demand higher wages and move to different areas, which weakened the traditional feudal ties.Answer
  2. B
    The king introduced a new law in 1348 that officially abolished the feudal system to encourage survivors to return to work.
  3. C
    Landowners gained significantly more power over their workers because the crisis forced the government to restrict the movement of the poor.
  4. D
    The plague primarily affected the nobility, allowing the merchant classes in the cities to take over the majority of the country's farmland.

Answer

The labor shortage allowed peasants to demand higher wages and more freedom, leading to the gradual decline of the feudal system.
The correct answer is that the massive loss of life in 1348 created a labor shortage. This gave the surviving peasants and workers the leverage to demand higher wages and the freedom to move to different estates for better work, which directly challenged and eventually weakened the feudal system that had tied them to specific lands.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the demographic impact of 1348.
Approximately one-third of the population died due to the Black Death.
This massive loss of life created an immediate and severe shortage of workers across Britain.
2
Analyze the economic consequence for survivors.
The demand for labor far exceeded the supply.
With fewer people to work the land, those who survived were in a much stronger position to negotiate for better terms.
3
Evaluate the social impact on feudalism.
Traditional feudal obligations became harder to enforce as workers moved for higher pay.
The ability to move and demand wages broke the traditional bond where peasants were tied to a specific lord's land, leading to the system's decline.

Key Concept

Socioeconomic impact of the Black Death on the feudal system
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

The Black Death and Social Change

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