Robert K. Moore wondered whether epidemics speed up "social evolution,"
whatever that is. Actually, there is no general answer. Epidemics always
create short-term labour shortages. The condition of the direct producers
may improve along with their bargaining position; or it may deteriorate
due to enserfment. Society and economy may stagnate due to too few people
to do essential work, or defend against external invaders. What's more,
you need to specify the pre-existing social conditions in order to
understand how the epidemic impacted.
When the Bubonic Plague hit both Europe and China in the fourteenth
century, it had the effect of speeding up change in Europe, but slowing
it down in China. This is a very complex problem which I tried to discuss
on this list about two or three years ago.
Daniel A. Foss