Kryzys demograficzny w Małopolsce Zachodniej w latach 1736–1737

Abstract

The demographic crisis of 1736–1737 was a result of the last great wave of famine in the 18th century. Crop failures pushed up prices for food, which in turn triggered an epidemic. In the meantime, the impoverished, starving population migrated on a mass scale. This population mainly headed for urban centres. Besides paupers, the disaster mainly effected children and the elderly. Once crisis had passed, the population quickly set about rebuilding the region’s demographic potential. The dramatic course of events in this crisis exposed the weakness of existing social welfare system for the local population, which had been based mainly on institutions of the Catholic Church.