[DanielGee]

I'm well aware of the theory. I used to subscribe to it myself when I was younger. I won't go into why reduce population wouldn't affect farm yields since back then, farming was a very physical endeavor requiring many people. If yields did increase, it was most likely because of population increase in the countryside due to europeans fleeing disease ridden cities. Lets not forget that most of the attributed population decline was due to cities being emptied because city dwellers moved to the countryside. Just like isaac newton did in the 1600s when disease struck england.

I would think that numbers, knowledge, technology and goods from the east had more to do with changing european society than a population decrease.

What do you think impacted korea more? The deaths during the korean war or trade with the west? What impacted european wages more? The deaths during WW2 or the american-led trade system?

Also, throughout history, there have been quite a few plagues ( not to mention mass killings ). Those didn't lift wages. China's wages didn't rise after tens of millions of people died during the taiping rebellion. But you are free to believe what you want.

[barking]

>But you are free to believe what you want.

Do you have any references to sources that support your alternative theory or discredit the usual explanations?