Consequences

__**BLACK PLAGUE:**__

 * Sociological Effects:**
 * The Jews were blamed for the plague because they were the not as hard hit as everyone else and were accused of poisoning the wells of Christians.
 * Many people became xenophobic (afraid of foreign or strange people) and isolationist (reluctant to make alliances or commitments).
 * Economic Effects:**
 * The plague improved the economic status of peasants because labor was scarce so lords paid the workers better (or actually paid them money).
 * It caused a short term devastation of trade, a 93% drop in in the year and a half after the plague.
 * It was far worse than the Great Depression in America.
 * Psychological Effects:**
 * Led to a strong, conservative desire for social stability in general even though it gnawed away at the church and feudal system of government.
 * Some people tried to make every minute of their life count, because they weren't sure how long they would live.
 * Average age of marriage suddenly moved from 16 to 22.
 * Many people became xenophobic (afraid of foreign or strange people) and isolationist (reluctant to make alliances or commitments).
 * Religious Effects:**
 * There was an initial short-term piety and revival, but caused a long-term damage to religious institutions.
 * Many believed God was punishing humanity for its sins.
 * Some priests actually stayed and helped the sick, but were very likely to contract the disease themselves. Other priest just ran and hid.
 * Lowered the standard of theological thinking and literacy of priest to get new blood into the church.
 * People didn't think religion was as important and that led to a new interest in medicine.
 * Effects on Art/Literature:**
 * The trauma of the plague led to the common motif //dans macabre//-- images of the dead interaction with the living-- especially on tombstones and visual art.
 * In some places, human bone depositories (ossaries) were turned into grotesque skeletal decorations when locals took the jumbled bones of plague victims and stacked them in odd, symbolic sculptures.
 * The trend of literature being focused on rejecting the physical world and embracing the spiritual world continued and increased for 30 to 50 years after the plague.
 * Demographic Effects:**
 * Killed about 1/3 of the population in Europe
 * Urban populations recovered quickly (2-3 years), rural populations recovered slowly because peasants moved to the cities, Hardest hit were special group that took a few generations to recover (1500's-1700's)
 * Political Effects**
 * City councils were ravaged.
 * Started the breakdown of the feudal system of government which was only included a upper class (royals) and lower class (peasants).
 * Parliaments would not meet because too many were sick.
 * The Hundred Year's War was suspended because so many soldiers were effected.
 * Whole families of local notables were wiped out.
 * Courts closed down.
 * Wills were not probated (proving the wills are real).
 * The son of the Byzantine emperor died of the plague, causing principles to fall.

__Colombian Exchange:__

 * Sociological Effects:**
 * Sailors brought syphilis back to Europe which caused great social disruption.
 * The transfer of staple food crops across the ocean made it possible for population explosion in the past two centuries and improved their caloric and nutritional intakes over what they used to eat.
 * Economic Effects:**
 * The gold and silver stolen from the Aztecs led to a rise in prices.
 * It brought the potato, the pineapple, turkeys, dahlias, sunflowers, magnolias, maize, chilies, and chocolate which long term affected the economies of other countries.
 * It altered the center of the world economy towards the countries of the Atlantic seaboard and other offshoots of the New World.
 * The potato helped improve the staple food of countries like Russia, Germany, Ireland, and Great Britain so they could later come to power because countries that have enough food to feed their people have the power.
 * Political Effects:**
 * It made the King more powerful
 * It created rivalries between European countries questing for the New World.
 * Most Native Americans were dead, so they didn't have as many rulers.
 * Native American planted the ideas of democracy.
 * Demographic Effects:**
 * Tens of millions of people died from the diseases the Europeans brought over.
 * The Europeans brought slaves from Africa to replace the workforce they decimated through disease.
 * Killed about 90% of the Native American population within the first 100 years after the European arrival in America.
 * Environmental Effects:**
 * The transfer of plants were the first invasive species.
 * Changed the ecosystems of Europe and Asia when the new plants and animals were introduced.