From revolutions to peace, pandemics have always had an enormous impact on the course of human history.
While it is still early to predict exactly what the effects will be, the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic will undoubtedly change our culture, personalities, and society.
One of the earliest examples was the Athenian plague, in which over 100,000 people died of a typhoid-like disease. The plague impacted the Peloponnesian War and eventually contributed to the collapse of democracy in Athens.
One of the most stunning examples was the Spanish conquest of the Americas, which was successful not necessarily due to military might, but for an invisible reason: germs. Millions of natives, at least 20 million, or 90% of the population, died due to European-bred diseases, such as smallpox and the flu.
Similar terrible effects were noted in Australia and other places where Europeans colonized. Some speculate that at least 5000 years before the colonial period, Europeans had been ravaged by the same diseases, which left them with a degree of immunity. Another disease that changed history was Yersinia Pestis, better known as the plague or the Black Death.
In reality, there were several pandemics caused by this disease, and each wave was utterly devastating, wiping out as much as half to two-thirds of the population, which back then was that of the known world. The first known episode was the Plague of Justinian, which killed an astonishing 30-50 million people between the 5th and 6th centuries AD.
The Black Death came back in the 14th century, killing some 25 million people in Europe alone. The plague came back time and time again until at least the 18th century, causing millions more deaths. In China, the plague made an appearance in the mid 1800s, causing nearly 15 million deaths and political revolutions in various parts of the territory.
Of course, these huge impacts on the population changed society and politics in a permanent way, as well as altered people’s belief systems and social habits.
The 1918 flu outbreak was encouraged by warfare in Europe and the disinformation that it caused. The censorship of news outlets due to World War I led to vital information being hidden and the true spread of the pandemic being covered up. Anywhere between 50 and 100 million people died worldwide.
