1. Definition and course
The concept of the Demographic Transition is of central importance in the history of population. It serves to describe the long-term decline in both mortality and fertility, and the concomitant growth in population, seen in the various societies of Europe from the late 18th century. The essence of the concept can be summarized in two points [2. 2]. First, it depends on the assumption that, during the transition to modernity, ever…