Morineau and Chaudhury reckon that the early modern period falls “roughly between 1500 and 1800”; apparently, the era was subject to rapid growth and development throughout the European continent (1). Accordingly, the subtle changes that began in Western Europe gained momentum and rapidly spread to the rest of the regions and beyond as settlers migrated with the acquired ideas to other territories. Extensively, though history often overlooks the role of the modern period in forming future civilizations, an analysis of the mentioned times reveals a correlation that only serves as proof of the former influencing the latter. After all, the cultural and political ideologies that went on to define the Western nations from the State to societal levels bear a close resemblance to those that emerged in Europe between the sixteenth and the nineteenth century respectively. To that end, this paper analyzes the predominant forms of politics, economics, and society that emerged sometime during the period in question. Subsequently, it goes on to identify their presence in the civilizations of the future, with a particular interest in famous events and people.
Foremost, Western societies of the Modern Period witnessed changes in the peoples’ ways of thinking and relations as their cultural norms transitioned from the late Medieval Age towards civilization. Central to the mentioned changes was the Italian Renaissance that was well underway before the commencement of the sixteenth century to the beginning of the Modern Age. In Larissa Taylor’s words, the Italian Renaissance was “an optimistic period” with the people of Italy conforming to the “intellectual-religious illumination and cultural-scientific progress” (5). Evidently, the Renaissance initiated the process of change as it encompassed elite individuals seeking to impact not only the traditions of the people but also the political and economic spheres of societies. According to Morineau and Chaudhury, the Italian Renaissance was complex in nature as it stemmed from the foundations of the medieval times but conformed to the new era that called for different idea and techniques in doing everything (16). Consequently, as the Renaissance movement made its way to Northern Europe, the cultures and religions of Italy changed just as the religious convictions of the North did (Taylor 327). Apparently, the dominant position of the church played a central role as the Catholicism defined the governing powers and social cohesion of the people. Still, though it lasted until the sixteenth century, the Renaissance in the North influenced renowned writers including William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes (Stearns 70).
Next, there was the Protestant and Catholic Reformation of the sixteenth century. While some Renaissance perceptions played key roles, reformation efforts targeted the destruction of the “secular norms” that came with the movement (Ller and Schweiger 244). On that note, Peter Stearns Western Civilization in World History defines secular as the “touting of achievement[s] here on earth” as opposed to the holy life preached in religious doctrines (60). As a result, Reformation paved the way for many religion-based controversies and battles that forever distorted the unity of the church among Western Christians (Taylor 91). It was under such conditions that the Protestant movement emerged to oppose the Catholic Church. Still, the doctrines remained similar as the early Protestant clergy encompassed individuals who had been preachers before moving from the Catholic Church; hence, their explanations of new religious understandings remained firmly placed on Catholicism. By extension, because of the new role in international commerce, most of the European nations witnessed a rapid increase in its economy and a revolution in its pricing methods as a means to facilitate trade relations (Chaudhury and Morineau 1-2). For instance, silver mined in the Americas and imported to the European nations eventually became the common currency among traders. In Europe and Asia in the Early Modern Era, Chaudhury and Morineau affirm that the “flow of silver from the New World of America” facilitated trade relations between Europe and Asia and changed the face of international trade forever. Expectedly, the religious factions of the regions promptly associated favorable economic conditions with divine intervention and further strengthened the powers of the church among the people. By that logic, culture remained linked to the economy and since, as mentioned before, there were tensions on religious convictions it was only a matter of time before the European society permanently responded to the divisions of the church.
Finally, yet importantly, from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, the Modern Period introduced “scientific revolutions and absolutism” (Stearns 70). Apparently, the scientific advances stemmed from the existing knowledge of “medieval science” with the combination of the secular ideologies that prompted researchers to work on worldly phenomena (Ller and Schweiger 91). Notably, the renaissance that defined Shakespeare’s work was one of art and literature, in the case of the sciences, the movement was primarily on secular subjects that encouraged explorations and new discoveries for the people. For instance, the introduction of “planetary motion” as a concept took place in the seventeenth century and quickly encouraged more assumptions on the world view and more scientific methods (Stearns 70). In his work, Stearns informs readers that a “Polish Monk, Copernicus” made the discovery of the sun being the center of the solar system and debunked traditional assumptions of the earth occupying that particular position (81). Such theories only served as the pathways to more studies that eventually spilled from the fields of education and into society, prompting the people to question their leaders and the merits of power allocation, such as tyrannical rule by Monarchs. The French Revolution is perfect evidence of the same.
In other words, Europe was also subject to the influences of political theories and inquiries into the social sciences. Dubbed absolutism by Peter Stearns, the absolute powers of the King[s] and the royal family encouraged disparities in the immediate lands and the faraway colonies of most empires, especially that of Britain, Spain, and France (81-86). Expectedly, a scramble ensued as combating Crowns sought to secure their powers with more regions that translated into riches for the empires. Nonetheless, the seeds of Enlightenment were already sprouting as most political theorists remained unimpressed by absolutism. Britain and Holland were first to respond to the development of parliamentary monarchies, a systematic form of government was preferable in Europe. The new powers operated with weaker central governments and legislative checks on the total authorities, a tendency that later States echoed on the grounds of democracy. The United States government provides enough proof of the given claim with its branches of government to avoid the centralization of power.
Works Cited
Chaudhury, Sushil and Morineau, Michel. Merchants, Companies and Trade: Europe and Asia in the Early Modern Era. New York: Cambridge University Press,, 2007. Print.
Ller, Sigrid M. and Schweiger, Cornelia. Between Creativity and Norm-Making: Tensions in the Early Modern Era. Boston : BRILL, 2012. Print.
Stearns, Peter N. Western Civilization in World History. New York: Psychology Press, 2003. Print.
Taylor, Larissa. Preachers and People in the Reformations and Early Modern Period. Boston: BRILL, 2001. Print.
