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Tides of History · February 7, 2023 · 47m
After the Plague: How the Black Death Created Modern Labor
The long-term economic consequences of the Black Death: how massive depopulation created the conditions for wage labor, geographic mobility, and the erosion of feudal serfdom across Western Europe.
This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.
Canon
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In Western Europe, the plague led to the end of serfdom as lords competed for scarce labor. In Eastern Europe, lords responded to the same labor shortage by intensifying serfdom — a second serfdom. The different political environments produced opposite outcomes from the same demographic shock.
Highlights
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The Black Death was the most effective labor union in history — it achieved through mass death what peasant revolts could not achieve through collective action
Wyman frames the post-plague labor market: by killing 30-60% of workers, the plague achieved what no peasant revolt had accomplished — genuine bargaining power for laborers. Wages doubled, serfdom eroded, and geographic mobility increased.Was this useful?