The Scarcity of Power

The Black Death is remembered for how many people it killed. But that is

not what changed everything. What really mattered was who survived. For centuries,

feudal societies depended on an oversupply of labor. Workers were replaceable. Then the plague

arrived. Suddenly, there were fewer workers than land. Labor became scarce.

And scarcity changed power. Lords needed workers. Workers could demand wages.

Old obligations began to break. Feudalism did not collapse overnight. But its foundation

was gone. Even today, wages and worker power still follow this rule.

When labor is scarce, power shifts. What do you think happens to