Unit 1

Renaissance: The Origins of a Western Worldview

Targets
Skill Builders

Lesson 4

How did ideas and knowledge spread?

  • disseminate
  • Gutenberg
  • Montaigne
  • printing press
  • vernacular

At the beginning of the Renaissance, there were no radios or TVs, no Internet, and no books that ordinary people could read.


Only those in the Church or members of the upper classes could read in Latin. As a result, most people had difficulty finding out what was happening or what people were thinking in other cities or countries.

The invention of the printing press (Figure 4.1) by Johannes Gutenberg and the establishment of more universities and libraries enabled ideas to spread through Europe faster than ever before.

Figure 4.1 Printing Press


Watch

Click the link to watch the video, Johannes Gutenberg: Inventions, Facts & Accomplishments, to learn about the importance of the invention of the printing press. 

Please stop the video at 2:00.