How exactly did the economy decline during the Bush Administration?
Wall Streets mortgage scams went on right under his nose for one. Starting two wars and putting them on Americas credit card without a plan to pay for them is another. You see, republican politicians run up the deficit and then when a democrat gets elected they whine about the democrats not doing anything to pay it down. It's a sick game that the middle class ultimately pays for. http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii160...
What were major problems Europe faced during the LATE Middle Ages?
The middle ages are believed to have ended with the 'discovery' of the New World, so that will shape my answer. Disease: The Black Death of 1346 continued in spurts and decimated portions of the population. Hygiene was also poor, so disease was easy to spread. Religion: Protestant reformation led to many wars and political conflicts between people. Fighting, especially bad in France, killed thousands. Avignon papacy and three popes threatened the legitimacy of the church. Environment: The medieval warming period was at an end, leading to colder weather which froze crops, starving thousands. This is probably the worst thing about the late medieval period. Sea coasts receded somewhat and areas of land to the north became inhospitable. Flooding and disease increased in areas and worse storms battered the shores. War: The last crusade ended in 1291, but there was still unrest in Europe which led to continued crusading at home. This would influence the Protestant reformation and Luther's 95 thesis's. Constantinople was lost to the Turks who threatened to push into Venice, and the Mongols threatened the Europeans to the East until their decline. Economy: Competition between Italian and other port cities sometimes led to violent conflict, despite the new revenue. Broken bureaucratic practices of Phillip II also led to economic issues in Spain.
How did life in Europe change after the fall of the Roman Empire?
When the western Roman empire collapsed in 476 AD, the unifying force for most of Europe was gone. Along with the loss of the government, much of the engineering abilities and "modern amenities" were also lost. The "barbarians" of Europe did not, for the most part, have the abilities or knowledge to build roads, aqueducts or the other marvels of the Roman Empire, which is why the period immediately after Rome's collapse is often referred to as the "Dark Ages". The only unifying force of any sort left would be Constantine's Roman Catholic church, which did manage to preserve some of the knowledge and vestiges of the empire. As the only thing left really, it became the main power in the European world throughout the Middle Ages, functioning almost as an imperial government until Luther set off the Reformation in 1546.