25 million people were dead - 1/3 of Europe's population. Medical society never recovered from the results of the plague. The many deaths caused labor shortages all over Europe. This led workers to demand higher wages, which in turn led to more peasant revolts. The empty lands were then repopulated, redistributing the wealth. Also, a rise in the power of cities occurred as old feudal order survivors rebuilt. The plague also took its toll on the church as well. People throughout Christendom prayed for deliverance. When their prayers were not answered, questions began forming. Why isn't our God helping us? A new period of political turmoil and philosophical questioning lay ahead. Another contributing factor in the breakdown of feudalism was communication and commerce. Increased communication broke down the isolated manner in which feudalism bestows. Trade and commerce were also becoming a factor. The agricultural society of before was weakening due to contact with the Islams and the Mongol Empire. The alphabet was picked up and commerce opened up with the Mongols while Europe was still at war. All of these determining factors played their part in the destruction of feudalism. The culture that was slowly beginning to replace feudalism was the Renaissance. The Renaissance portrayed characteristics such as the growth of commerce, capitalism, and human behavior as well as powerful innovations and new ideas. The word Renaissance actually means rebirth, giving an idea that this period in time was unique. While the spirit of the Renaissance took many forms, it was expressed earliest by the intellectual movement called Humanism. Humanism brought new beliefs such as the ideas that society was made up of individual rights, not just a society as one like before. Also, Humanism stressed the unity and compatibility of the truth found in all philosophical schools and systems. People wanted to find out things for themselves without...
