The Renaissance
III. The Printing Revolution
- A. Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Press
- 1. Johannes Gutenberg is credited with inventing the first printing press with movable type. In 1456, the first full work ever printed by movable type, the Mazarin Bible, was published.
- 2. Printing quickly spread across Europe. By 1500, presses in over 200 cities printed between 8 million and 20 million books, far more than the number of books produced in all of previous Western history.
- B. Impact of the Printing Press
- 1. The printing press enabled the works of humanists such as Erasmus and More to be quickly disseminated across Europe.
- 2. The profusion of printing technology made it difficult for authorities to suppress dissenting views.
NOTE: The printing press had a revolutionary impact upon European life and thought. APEURO test writers often compose essay questions asking students to describe and analyze how the printing press altered European culture between 1450 and 1600. It Is important to note that like today's Internet, the printing press promoted freedom of expression, disseminated information, and challenged the power of established authorities to control divergent views.
