Perhaps the end of the Middle Ages can largely be attributed to the rise of individualism. During the Middle Ages people were part of a church, they were a part of guilds, they were a part of the feudal system; the need for individualism was nearly nonexistent as everyone was simply trees in a forest. But as their faith in the Church declined, as guilds became less relevant, and as the feudal system fell apart, there was no longer the need to be part of these institutions, the trees were falling so to speak. People found themselves no longer to be in a forest, and that they could work to better improve their situations. For example, as the Bubonic Plague killed off many of the serfs, the remaining ones began asking for wages. There was also