Do historical population declines bear this out? The Black Death is often credited for an increase in worker wages and a shift to a somewhat freer society with

Do historical population declines bear this out? The Black Death is often credited for an increase in worker wages and a shift to a somewhat freer society with more freedom of movement and urban development. I can just as easily see that global population decline would lead to higher wages, immigration reform, more urbanization, development of automation, less focus on planned obsolescence and more on higher value goods that a wealthier population can now afford.