The Plague: Yesterday and Today
The plague swept the modernization world at the time in a widespread and quick manner. In a rapid period of time, approximately one third of the world’s population was eradicated. Many scholars disagree on this number, claiming that it’s far too high an estimate, but recent studies have provided evidence that this number is in fact accurate. The sedentary life covered in the last artifact significantly contributed to the epidemic of the plague. When people are stationary for long periods of time, settling into habits, there is a greater opportunity for disease to settle in.
Society didn’t really know what to think when the epidemic of the plague hit. Families were torn apart not only based off of raw numbers, but the emotional trauma of being afraid to care for your loved ones took a serious toll on relationships. Many of the cultural elites escaped into the countryside, secluding themselves from the terrors of the plague. Just like history has shown many times before, society decided to place the blame on the Jews. The Jews are frequently targeted as the scapegoat for tragedies. Hedonistic society was also blamed for the tragedy. Prostitution and gambling was outlawed moving forward, and religious zealots turned to extreme measures of beating themselves in order to gain favor with God.
The overall effects of the plague at first glance are glaringly negative, but there are some silver linings to be found. Society never did learn that it’s pointless to blame the Jews for tragedies, as their blaming of Jews didn’t help the problem. The church lost a great deal of respect from society, as they turned their back on citizens when they needed religion the most. Medicine made a decent amount of advances during this time, as we eventually were able to narrow down the causes of the plague and learn how to prevent such an outbreak in the future. Social order was reset, as there were much fewer people in the world. This meant that people who were mere peasants in the past now had the ability to own their own land and farm it. In addition, nobles found it necessary to now farm for themselves and their lives became much harder as a result.
The plague today happens on a much smaller level than it did in the past. This is due largely in part to organizations such as the CDC, which spread awareness and provide plans in order to combat the spread.