I have been reading this book (impressed that I read huh?) called Why Nations Fail. One of the points he makes was after the bubonic plague half of the work force was wiped out which created more freedom in the end. The peasants realized that the lords and landlords were short on a workforce and started to rise up and demand more rights and wages. From their you could see the beginnings of democracy.

Interesting to see how a horrific event such as the Black Death has an ironic consequence for good.


http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-19/book-review-why-nations-fail-by-daron-acemoglu-and-james-robinson