---
title: "The Ethereum Merge: What Changed and What It Means (PDF)"
url: "https://bip39-phrase.com/list-phrase/the-ethereum-merge-what-changed-and-what-it-2026-10-01/"
language: "en"
updated: "2026-10-01T00:00:00+00:00"
---

# The Ethereum Merge: What Changed and What It Means

The Ethereum Merge in September 2022 switched the network from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, cutting energy use by 99.95% and reducing ETH issuance.

PDF document · Published October 1, 2026 

[ Open the PDF (5 pages, 272 KB) ](/list-phrase/the-ethereum-merge-what-changed-and-what-it-2026-10-01-en.pdf) 

## Contents

1. How the Merge Worked
2. Changes to Issuance and Economics
3. What the Merge Did Not Do

Keywords: 

Ethereum Merge · proof-of-stake · Beacon Chain · ETH issuance · Ethereum energy consumption

Topic: 

[BIP39 for Developers: Python Code, EVM Contracts and API Keys](/topics/developers/)

## Guides on the same subject

- [Smart Contract EVM: What It Is and How It Works](/smart-contract-evm-what-it-is-and-how-it-works/)  
The EVM is the sandboxed runtime every Ethereum node uses to run smart contracts: bytecode, gas, a Solidity example, real uses and the bugs that drain them.
- [How Bitcoin Mining Works: Proof of Work and Hardware](/how-bitcoin-mining-works/)  
Bitcoin mining adds blocks by hashing headers until one beats the network target, for 3.125 BTC plus fees. Difficulty, rewards, hardware and pools explained.
- [Ethereum Keystore File (JSON Wallet): Structure and Security](/json-wallets-explained/)  
An Ethereum keystore file, or JSON wallet, holds one private key encrypted with a password via scrypt or PBKDF2 and AES-128-CTR. Fields, wallets, Python code.

One of the documents in the [Seed Phrase PDF Archive](/list-phrase/), listed on [archive page 12](/list-phrase/12/).