Unit One: The Transformation of Europe (1450 - 1648)
In 1450 Europe was connected by trade, communication, and travel to other parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, but the region was still on the periphery of interactions among regions. The old centers of civilization in the Middle East, southern Asia, and eastern Asia still were the most important axis of commerce and culture, while Europeans had only recently recovered from the Dark Ages that followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire. By 1648 Europe had moved to front and center stage, although the older centers continued to be important players in world interactions. How did this transformation occur? Three interrelated changes help to explain the rise of Europe.
In the period between 1450 and 1648 these three changes evolved together, and change in one area brought about reactions in others, which in turn brought further alterations in the first area. By 1648, these changes interacted to bring about the transformation of the continent, so that Europe of 1648 was almost totally different - politically, culturally, socially, and economically - from the Europe of the 1450
In 1450 Europe was connected by trade, communication, and travel to other parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, but the region was still on the periphery of interactions among regions. The old centers of civilization in the Middle East, southern Asia, and eastern Asia still were the most important axis of commerce and culture, while Europeans had only recently recovered from the Dark Ages that followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire. By 1648 Europe had moved to front and center stage, although the older centers continued to be important players in world interactions. How did this transformation occur? Three interrelated changes help to explain the rise of Europe.
- Important cultural and intellectual changes - including the Renaissance, the religious reformations, and the Scientific Revolution - oriented European minds toward invention and allowed them to escape the social and intellectual boundaries of the Middle Ages.
- Political consolidation of strong centralized states - meant that kings had enough power and money to control regional lands and people and sponsor trade expeditions and diplomatic envoys to other civilizations.
- Technological advances and the development of capitalism - allowed European states to increase their riches through trade and territorial claims in the Western Hemisphere. Although they often built on inventions from previous eras by other people, Europeans made good use of their innovations.
In the period between 1450 and 1648 these three changes evolved together, and change in one area brought about reactions in others, which in turn brought further alterations in the first area. By 1648, these changes interacted to bring about the transformation of the continent, so that Europe of 1648 was almost totally different - politically, culturally, socially, and economically - from the Europe of the 1450
The Big Picture: The Transformation of Europe
Important themes that interact throughout this period of history include:
Important themes that interact throughout this period of history include:
- The reliance on religious authority shifted to the belief that human beings often control their own destinies. This shift is evidenced by the Renaissance, the two religious reformations, the voyages of discovery, the rise of capitalism, and the Scientific Revolution. All of these developments reflect the importance of individual effort and innovation.
- Political states in western Europe - including England, France, and Spain — centralized government in the hands of a monarch at the expense of the old nobility. Other areas of Europe - such as the Holy Roman Empire and Italy - did not centralize power, and as a result, their political and economic development was hampered.
- Economic innovations, including capitalism and mercantilism, supported a growth in trade and business that eventually led to European explorations and foreign land claims. As a result, Europe became central to the development of the first truly global economy in world history.
- Religious pluralism replaced the dominance of the Catholic Church in Europe, and served as a permanent end to the hope of a unified Christendom. Religious strife characterized the era from 1517 to 1648.
- The old social order based on landowning nobles and serfs tied to the land broke up in western Europe and was virtually gone by 1648. New social classes emerged including the bourgeoisie or gentry - and the old nobility lost economic and political power. Towns and cities grew, populated by a larger number of artisans and merchants, and peasants were likely to move from rural areas to towns. In eastern Europe, serfdom remained in place, and the landed nobility retained their control.
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