The world the plague made : the Black Death and the rise of Europe
Belich, James, 1956-2022
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In 1346, a catastrophic plague beset Europe and its neighbours. The Black Death was a human tragedy that abruptly halved entire populations and caused untold suffering, but it also brought about a cultural and economic renewal on a scale never before witnessed. 'The World the Plague Made' is a panoramic history of how the bubonic plague revolutionized labour, trade, and technology and set the stage for Europe's global expansion. James Belich takes readers across centuries and continents to shed new light on one of history's greatest paradoxes. Why did Europe's dramatic rise begin in the wake of the Black Death? Belich shows how plague doubled the per capita endowment of everything even as it decimated the population. Many more people had disposable incomes. Demand grew for silks, sugar, spices, furs, gold, and slaves. Europe expanded to satisfy that demand - and plague provided the means.
Belich, James, 1956-, author
Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2022]©2022
ix, 622 pages : maps (black and white) ; 24 cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
9780691215662 (hbk)
940.17
English
The world the plague made : the Black Death and the rise of Europe
983346