Renaissance as a Turning Point in History: Synthesis Essay

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Renaissance as a Turning Point in History: Synthesis Essay

The three major turning points throughout Western history that stick out are the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD and its effects throughout Europe, the introduction of humanism in the 14th century and how it shaped the Renaissance, and also, the invention of the movable type printing press that shaped the world as we know it.

On September 476 AD, Romulus Augustulus, the final western emperor of Rome, was overtaken by a German nobleman named Odovacar, who had gained power over the remnants of the Roman army of Italy. This forced Europe into what is considered the Middle Ages, which caused a social, political, and economic decline after the fall of Rome. The Middle Ages were a time of disorder and chaos; countrysides were filled with invaders, religious conflicts arose, scarcity of sound literature and cultural achievements marked these years, and barbarous practices prevailed. One important struggle throughout the Middle Ages was the dispute over religion. Orthodox Christians considered this time a period of Catholic corruption; with their apostolic teachings and hierarchy, they rejected the practices of the Catholic Church. Orthodox Christians, without these Catholic grim traditions, attempted to recreate a pure Christianity. Catholics nonetheless, refused to see this time as grim and viewed it as a harmonious, successful religious era. The Middle Ages were additionally the years of widely spread Muslim conquests. Together with other nomads and other warriors, the Muslims traveled through the fallen empire, causing havoc and expanding intellectual and social unorthodoxy. However, during the Crusades between 1096 and 1291, Muslim conquests failed. To this day, this age-old dispute between Christianity and Islam has persisted. Despite the religious conflicts, the period of the Middle Ages was identified as an age of faith. Men and women pursued God through the practices of the catholic church and in more Orthodox styles of worship. Intellectuals in this period began to believe that those who followed religious beliefs were emotionally dominated. Religion was regarded as contradictory to rationality and reason, thus shifting towards enlightenment.

In the 14th century, the concept of humanism was introduced, which was a significant turning point for the Renaissance. The Renaissance’s critical political reforms were a more versatile and progressive class system, rather than the traditional feudal system of the Middle Ages. This was most apparent in Florence, Italy, where the divisions of wealthy nobles, the middle class, and the lower middle class caused social divisions and conflict. The Humanism philosophy became exceedingly popular with the people and many political leaders rose to high positions with the support of these ideals. Leaders throughout Florence used their rhetorical skills to rally the people of Florence against their enemies. The drastic changes in Renaissance education were originally influenced by the humanists ‘ ability to be knowledgeable and speak eloquently. The newly established goals of Renaissance education were the concept of effective education and well-developed schooling in many diverse fields of study. People all over revived Plato’s, Aristotle’s, and several other Ancient Greek studies. People began doubting what these people were saying and re-developed the ‘Scientific Theory’ in which you did not merely believe what you were told but checked the facts. Renaissance artists were no longer subject to the interests and values of the clergy and were capable to create anything of their ‘artistic will.’Now, beyond religion, both men and women were able to appreciate the arts. Additionally, artists could now utilize alternative techniques such as oil painting and linear perspective to enhance the quality of their work. It was because of this new artistic independence that some of the greatest work ever created was by Renaissance artists. As you can see, in just about every aspect of the culture, the Renaissance was a significant turning point in history from the Middle Ages.

Many events in human history are of great significance for today’s way of life, the invention of the ‘movable type’ printing press by Johannes Gutenberg is one of the most notable. Although primitive methods of printing had long before been invented in ancient China and high-quality paper had been available in Europe for some time, most books were still copied by hand. This is why few books were made, and those produced were highly valuable commodities that either belonged to the Church or to other powerful institutions. The invention of Gutenberg’s movable type printing press ensured that books could be produced in greater numbers as well as faster and cheaper than ever before. This resulted in a massive social and cultural movement of which the effects are still being seen and felt today. The printing press had a significant impact on the civilization of Europe and its immediate effect was to quickly and accurately distribute information. This helped create a broader audience. First of all, there were more and more secular books published, with particularly noteworthy scientific results. Scientists working on the same issue in various parts of Europe benefited especially since they were able to print the results of their research and share it accurately with a large number of other scientists. In addition, this allowed scientists to further advance knowledge and understanding based on other scientific approaches. By the 1600s, this transition would lead to the Scientific Revolution, which would change how Europeans viewed the world. As for some men, the printing press often caused its share of trouble. It took the copying of books from the Church’s hands and made it more difficult for the Church to regulate or restrict what was being written. It is no accident that during the Protestant Reformation, the break-up of the religious unity of Europe corresponded to the spread of printing. The distinction between the effective Reformation of Martin Luther and the lesser results of the Hussites was Luther was armed with the printing press. Some people go so far as to say that the printing press is the most important invention between the invention of writing itself and the printer. The printing press has expanded and spread information and transformed public opinion in a way that nothing could compete. If it could not, the freedom of the press would not be as greatly valued as it is today.

The three turning points that have affected society, The Fall of Rome, The Introduction of Humanism, and The Printing Press have all had lasting positive effects. The fall of Rome in 476 AD led to the Middle Ages, which was a time of disorder and chaos, countrysides filled with invaders, religious conflicts arose, scarcity of literature and cultural achievements, as well as an age of faith, marked these years. It was a crucial event leading into the Renaissance. Another major event was the introduction of Humanism in the 14th century was a major turning point for society; it launched Europe into the Renaissance which allowed the introduction of the feudal system, better education, and an appreciation of the arts. All of these events are major turning points in Western history, however, the invention of the ‘movable type’ printing press by Johannes Gutenberg is one of the most important. It allowed for a massive social and cultural movement through the distribution of books. It also was one of the fundamental reasons for the freedom of the press. All of these events, even being hundreds of years apart, are able to tie together by shifting European systems and views for the better.

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