The article discusses the revolution in Germany, France, England, Spain, and Italy regarding the printing process. In the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries European art and literature in the nations spread under the classic influence from the 14th to 16th century. However, the revolution in Italy was adapted with its local culture. This was why Italy prospered more in the coming years. The insistence from its local population to stay loyal to its culture was a contributing factor towards the success.
The two major changes of prosperity and the printing press were aimed towards the affluent members of society. Schools and education became a common phenomenon for the upper class members. This led to a further division between classes and has continued ever since. The printing press led to an evolution of the way content was printed in those times. The people performing the printing tasks were not from the affluent class but these people were denied access to the benefits these new printing techniques brought forth.
If Johannes Gutenberg had not kept the printing process using antimony, tin, and lead then the bibles printed using this technique would have been greater in number. Spreading the awareness of the new methodology would have benefitted entire nations, and there was no need for Gutenberg to keep this a secret. What would have happened if Gutenberg died, and he had not shared his techniques with others? People would have continued to use the tradition block printing method and would have not progressed as much. Gutenberg should be acknowledged for his contributions because he provided the first step towards the evolution of printing. Today, the ease with which printed content is available is possible because of the ideas the previous generations employed and the way these ideas were built upon by future generations.
References
The Printing Press. (n.d.). The Printing Press. Retrieved March 1, 2014, from http://historyguide.org/intellect/press.html
