Discuss the economic and social factors which contributed to the process of Renaissane and Reformation.
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Answer:
The terms 'Renaissance' and 'Reformation' are generally used to describe this period of transformation. The
word 'Renaissance' means rebirth, and it was used to refer to the revival or interest in the learning of ancient
Greece and Rome. But it was much more than the revival of ancient learning. It embraced ideas and
achievements in philosophy, religion, art, literature, politics and science which had little in common with the
ancient heritage. At times, they were also against the Catholic Church and the authority of the Pope which
led to the rise of Protestantism in the early sixteenth century as well as to the Catholic Reformation known
as 'Counter-Reformation' in the later sixteenth century.
The Reformation had a profound impact on the history of Europe which extended beyond the sphere of
religion. Both Renaissance and Reformation had common social and economic causes. In their impact, they
coincided, and together, they brought about the collapse of the feudal order and laid the foundations of a
new social order. A series of inter-related developments accompanied these changes in society and
economy. There were fundamental changes in the thinking of human beings about the world and their place
in it, and in the content and style of art and literature. There was a decisive shift away from divine matters to
the study of human matters and an invincible faith in the tremendous creative potential of human beings.
The foundations of modern science were laid in this period. The period also saw the emergence of nation-
states with new forms of political system and new political theories. This period was also the age of
discovery when the voyages of exploration brought for the first time in history, all parts of the world into
contact with one another
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