Analysis of Major Global Revolutions
Analysis of Major Global Revolutions
Events in global history are sometimes called revolutions when they have a significant impact on the direction that history takes. Time has been speckled by major turning points that have contributed to life, as we know it.
Many great minds were encouraged in Europe between the 1300’s and 1600’s; this time of drastic change was called the Renaissance. After years of oppression the Church could no longer keep the lid on peoples’ minds. They began to ask questions and search for answers that would make sense. As a result, the focus of life at this time swung from the dominating, even tyrannical Church to a much more accepting, scientific arena. New schools and colleges became increasingly common. And with the educational increase, new inventions and beliefs among intellectuals such as Leonardo da Vinci, Sofonisba Anguissola, and Albrecht Dürer were created. As peoples’ curiosity began to overcome their fear, many started to venture out and explore. People in wealthy Italian cities began to focus more on art than on the Bible, freeing their minds from the ropes imposed by the Church. This mental emancipation lead to swing the governmental systems from Feudalism to Monarchies and, eventually from Monarchies to democracies.
A major contribution to the success of the Renaissance was the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1451. As the Renaissance ideas spread, people began to take an interest in art, poetry, and other intellectual topics. The books that were previously copied by hand could now be produced for the masses at a fraction of the cost, conforming to the present need for knowledge. Lay people in the peasant or middle classes could now afford to buy texts and educate their children. All throughout Europe life was being redefined as the general public learned more about their world. However, the more long-term effect of the printing press was the preservation of knowledge throughout the centuries. Now that books were no longer transferred word for word the risk of corruption through the ages was eliminated.
Many events culminated during the cold year of 1905, causing it to be a pivotal year in the development of the Russian Revolution. The year began in a foreboding manner with a labor strike lead by Father George Gapon that culminated in a massacre of workers in...