A Statistical View of European Rural Life, 1600-1800 Between the 17th and 19th centuries, the average European's diets varied greatly due to natural causes. Most peasants lived in unsanitary conditions, far away from conventional medical help, and would live in a single room with a large family. Most farmers were illiterate especially in Southern Europe and their farming technology was not updated. Protestant Northern Europe had higher literacy rates because Protestantism encouraged individual bible reading, …showed first 75 words of 1259 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1259 total…techniques, farmers could grow more food per acre, protect it from diseases, and also used less manpower. Transportation was a major factor in that it allowed food to be transported across Europe, whereas before one region might starve while another region could be prosperous. Sanitation improved living circumstances and allowed more infants to survive to adulthood, increasing the population. All of these factors allowed Europe's illiterate, rural majority to escape the grip of natural forces.