Final answer:
During the Counter-Reformation, accusations of witchcraft typically resulted in harsh punishments, including trials and executions, particularly in Salem Village where nineteen people were executed. The hysteria ceased when influential critiques of the trials emerged.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the Counter-Reformation, which was the Catholic Church's response to the Protestant Reformation, accusations of witchcraft generally led to severe penalties for those involved. Witch trials were common, and the accused often suffered extreme punishments. This repression was part of a larger effort by the Catholic Church to assert control and combat heretical ideas.
In Puritan New England, particularly in Salem Village during 1692, the hysteria over supposed witchcraft resulted in tragic outcomes for many accused individuals. Most of the accused were women, considered more susceptible to the Devil, and they were often those who deviated from social norms or had enemies within their community. Nineteen people were executed during the Salem witch trials, and others died in prison.
The hysteria came to an end when influential individuals began to criticize the proceedings and the use of spectral evidence was discredited. Ultimately, the events in Salem and in broader European contexts reflected social and religious anxieties of the time, as communities grappled with change and uncertainty by targeting those accused of witchcraft.