Currency

[simonmark6]

Given the extent of the disaster that timeline doesn't seem unreasonable, after all, Britain was still rationing key foods nearly ten years after the end of WW2. As long as people saw things getting better and their safety and rights improving incrementally you probably get a high level of co-operation. The fact that some of it would depend on the individual Lord of the manor gives the GM the chance to create an interesting tapestry of conditions for the party to play in.