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Comparing the roles of feudalism before and after the Bubonic Plague, what impact did the disease have on labor and the role of peasants?

A) Increased labor demand, elevated peasant status
B) Decreased labor demand, diminished peasant status
C) Increased labor demand, diminished peasant status
D) Decreased labor demand, elevated peasant status

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The correct option is A. The Bubonic Plague resulted in increased labor demand and elevated the status of peasants as they were able to negotiate for better wages and conditions due to the labor shortage caused by the plague.

Step-by-step explanation:

After the devastation of the Bubonic Plague, feudalism experienced significant changes in terms of labor dynamics and the role of peasants within the system. The correct answer to the impact of the disease on labor and the role of peasants is A) Increased labor demand, elevated peasant status. Due to massive depopulation, there was an acute shortage of workers which drastically increased the demand for labor. This shift allowed peasants to leverage for better wages and working conditions.

As the nobility offered better compensation to attract labor, this inadvertently led to the rise in the status of peasants, who could now negotiate terms more favorably than before the plague. Consequently, serfdom began to decline and wage labor became more common, contributing to the gradual end of the feudal system as it was known in medieval Europe.

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