The introduction of printing in mid-fifteenth century Europe might have made little headway if Europe were not ripe for change". Discuss the factors that contributed to the success of the printing press.

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The introduction of printing in mid-fifteenth century Europe might have made little headway if Europe were not ripe for change”.  Discuss the factors that contributed to the success of the printing press.

The printing press was one of the most important inventions of the 1400’s. The scribes and monks that hand reproduced text such as the bible in the 1300’s gave way to this new technology. At first it was unaccepted with scribes being put out of work, and their complaints causing presses to be banned in many locales as the Church did not want to let go of its long-held literary privilege. Certain events from the 1400’s onwards led to the success of the printing press as discussed further.

During the period of the late Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church was the biggest single landowner in Europe. In alliance with the feudal aristocracy it represented the most powerful upholder of resistance to change. Much of the power of the Church was based on its ability to enforce the use of Latin as the language of worship. The rise of the Church of England in the 1500’s played an important part in the rise of the printing press. Before Henry the 8th the bible was written in Latin which was unable to be read by most uneducated illiterates in Roman Catholic England. When Henry the 8th wanted a divorce, which was not allowed at the time, he abolished Catholicism so he could do so. This abolishment led to the bible being reproduced in English and its availability spread.

This was around the time that Europe was heading for the renaissance. This renaissance played a big part in the printing press and this is when it really “took off”. With the rise of the educated person and nations becoming now defined, the individual was now in a position to read texts and learn from them. This led to an increase in their understanding of such things like medicine and technology which in turn led to more texts being printed spreading this new found knowledge.

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Of course the success of the printing press did not just rely on the technology itself. This new technology would never have taken off if it were not for the production of mass produced paper.

During the middle ages, more and more merchants were dealing in this commodity called ‘paper’ that was growing in importance for public and intellectual life. The Nuremberg councillor, Ulmann Stromer, was one of the first to realise the potential advantages of making his own paper and, with the help of skilled workers from Italy, transformed the ‘Gleismühle’ by the gates of his home town into ...

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