@glassbottommeg the answer is the enclosure of the commons. Like, basically until john snow started the push for public health in like the late 19th c. cities were hellpits. They had a negative birthrate, and would not have been at all sustainable if not for the systemic destruction of rural life. In the 16th c. noblemen in England and parts of France realized they could become rich by fucking over their serfs, taking over all the land in their remit, and removing most people.
Npars01