How did the new wealth affect Europe

5-10 sentences

Then, too, their society was a poor one, without enough food or shelter for everyone to survive, much less be comfortable. So they competed, and were willing to take desperate risks in the hopes of "getting ahead." They knew, however, that, in a competitive society such as theirs, success was a temporary thing. No sooner did one succeed that someone of something would snatch that success away. Another of their favorite themes was The Wheel of Fortune, in which someone sunk in the mud would grab something like the turning water-wheel of a mill which would lift him up to the health of wealth and power, but would continue to turn and throw him back into the mud. They knew that all of life was a risky business, so they were eager gamblers, always willing to risk anything, even their lives, in hope of some gain.