social- renaissance Flashcards
(14 cards)
Medieval worldview was dominated by faith
in the form of the Catholic Church
Medieval hierarchy revolved around the Feudal System
a land based economic and political system which had the peasants at the base with knights
This system began to break down as more commoners moved to the cities and a middle class and wealthy class of merchants emerged
creating an economy that was based more on money/trade than land.
Europe became exposed to goods and ideas from the great civilizations of Asia by trading for the expensive goods along the Silk Road
Renaissance (re-birth) was a time of great change and rediscovery of the ideas of the Classical civilizations (Ancient Greece and Rome)
Italy had a geographic advantage of being in the mid-mediterranean
giving them easy access to the Silk Road as well as the rest of Europe
Printing press increased the availability of knowledge and aided in the rapid spread of ideas
Humanism encourages individuals to be widely educated and involved in all aspects of civic (community) life. Thinkers began to question their world and create new ideas
People like Martin Luther began to question the Church due to its corruption (selling indulgences!)
leading to the creation of the Protestant religions.
The Church lost some power as some people began to turn to science for an explanation of natural events.
The Scientific Method led to humanists investigating the physical world through observation and experimentation rather than only looking to the Church or ancient Greek and Roman writings for explanations.
Europeans began to explore in order to find more efficient trade routes (motivation and ability)
European humanist ideas
desire for wealth from trade
The Europeans felt their worldview was superior and this gave them the right to adopt an imperialistic attitude towards much of the world
gaining control of it through conquest and trade.
