Stuarts - population

Agrarian economy

• land supports size of population

• limit of possible food production keeps size of population in check

Malthusian trap

Theory that, as population growth is ahead of agricultural growth, there must be a stage at which the food supply is inadequate for feeding the population

How do populations rise and fall?

• Average age

• Infant mortality

• Death rates

• Fertility rates (impacted by culture)

• War/famine

• Disease/healthcare

• Migration (e.g. New World)

• Wealth of nation

• Infant mortality rates

Why has the population grown over the last 1000 years?

• Industrial Revolution in 1800s caused huge population increase

• If population rises, inevitable knock on effect economically – major increase in price as higher demand: Price Revolution

• Basic concept: supply and demand

• Impact on food prices

• Impact on labour wages

• Impact on living conditions – decrease in living conditions as up the cost, more people in one living space

  

factors keeping population stable in the 1600s

• Civil War – higher death toll than WW1 and WW2

• Great Plague 1665

• Great Fire 1666

reasons for population change

UP: mortality rates fall, fertility rates rise, immigration is higher than emigration

DOWN: mortality rates rise, fertility rates fall, emigration is higher than immigration

• London is the exception to this rule, huge increase in population as industries start to grow (NOT start of Industrial Revolution), merchant class growing – becomes hub of European trade (entrepot)