One of the reasons the birth rate remained high was that it was in the best interests of the family to have many children so that the offspring could contribute to the labour on the farm. Women were also apt to bear more children, as they expected some would inevitably die of poor health. Some social conditions existed that were in favour of rapid reproduction, such as the Church's rule to be fruitful and multiply. Government too promoted some degree of growth. The industrial revolution in the next stage changed things.
The second stage of the model can be marked as the beginning of the "mortality transition."(Cohen, pg.46 1995) A dramatic drop in the death rate marks this stage. The decline in the death rate can be attributed in part to the introduction and improvement of modern medicine, which dispersed many of the plagues of the time, in a short period of time. The agricultural revolution improved nutrition, making the people healthier and therefore more resistant to disease. The industrial revolution brought about dramatic improvement in infrastructure such as sewage disposal, drains and water supply, all of which contributed to improved public health in the growing cities. Personal hygiene also improved with the invention of durable, washable cotton clothing, and better soap. In this stage, however, the birth rate remained high because of the pro-natalist regime that prevailed. Governments still largely equated power and strength with large numbers of people. In the eyes of the government, more people meant more tax revenue, more cheap labourers, and more soldiers. (Meyer, 1996) Of course, birth control was unheard of at the time. Because of the discrepancy between the birth and death rates at this stage, the population started its stage of rapid growth.
Stage three of the model can accurately be called the "fertility transition." (Cohen pg. 46). It is of course characterised by the rapid decline in the birth rate.
