On the eve of the French Revolution, the West had witnessed its greatest cultural and economic expansion. Over the course of roughly four centuries, from 1300 to 1789, the West saw its people and economies devastated by both natural and man-made disasters, but each time it was able to not only survive but thrive afterwards. a nation or people is how quickly they recover from a catastrophe. Europe's climate became colder and wetter around 1300. This is the beginning of a period that geographers call “a little ice age.” A series of storms ruined the wheat, oat, and hay crops, resulting in a very poor harvest that led to both shortages and starvation. Most of Europe suffered from the “Great Famine” between 1315 and 1322. This caused a huge increase in the cost of all types of food which limited the number of people who could afford to eat. Those who did not starve survived with reduced nutritional intake which resulted in greater susceptibility to disease, especially infants, children and the elderly. Typhoid fever killed thousands. Furthermore, the reduced diets left workers with less energy and even lower productivity, which in turn allowed the cycle to remain intact. In some areas this has led to the abandonment of farms and even entire villages. The population level decreased exponentially. At the same time, an epidemic we call the Black Death also hit Europe. The disease known as bubonic plague or even some type of Eboli disease in some circles ravaged Eastern Europe starting in 1340. In the spring of 1348 southern Germany was infected. In June 1348, two ships entering the English Channel introduced the plague to England and the rest...... half of the document ...... translation of ancient works. Renaissance patrons played a role in funding scientific research as they did for art and literature. The advent of the printing press provided a faster and less expensive way to circulate knowledge throughout Europe. Navigation problems were central to the development of many new scientific instruments, which enabled sharper observations and often led to important new information. These technological advances aided in the discovery of the New World. These discoveries have led to a new source of wealth for their respective countries. Discoveries of new deposits of gold, silver, sugar cans, and furs led to even greater wealth for the West. It was almost contrary to the thinking of some Renaissance people that most of these occurred thanks to slave labor or the near destruction of the indigenous populations who had these new found resources..