The death penalty created a better society in Europe. From the 11th to the 18th century, the death penalty contributed to a more peaceful society, while the genes of violent men were extinguished. American and Canadian researchers published an article in Evolutionary Psychology.
Violence and death penalty during the early Middle Ages
The scientist researched 3 different era’s of Northwestern Europe. The first period, from the 5th tot the 11th century, was a very violent one. After the fall of the Roman Empire, smaller tribes battled each other. Small conflicts like family disputes were often sorted out in a violent matter. Violence and murder were a part society and were mostly left unpunished.
Execution of death penalties from the 11th to the 18th century
This changed in the later Middle Ages, when the death penalty was widely used. As a matter of fact, the death penalty was carried out at such a high rate, that 0,5 to 1 percent of all men were killed during this period. This helped significantly to reduce the amount off commited murders. The dettering effect of the death penalty certainly was an important factor, but this research suggests that the removal of violent genes from society played its part as well. Violence is inherited for 40%, and the death penalty was mostly executed on violent men. Since they were removed from the gene pool, the amount of violent genes was reduced rapidly.
In the 18th century, the steep decrease of the amount of murders halted. The researchers suggest that this was the effect of the decline of executed death penalties.
Read the whole article on: Evolutionary psychology
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