The Role of the Printing Press in Historical Movements and Eras - Essay Example

The Role of the Printing Press in Historical Movements and Eras Introduction Printing is the process of reproducing multiple copies of a text, image or manuscript intended for a larger group of audience. The significance of a printed piece of work was realized at the height of the Hussite crisis when the leaders ordered for the destruction of over 200 manuscripts whose rewriting would take time and resources. The scribes were also fully engaged within the churches and hiring their services for rewriting of these manuscripts seemed impossible1. The Hussites also had a negative relationship with the church which further complicated the need to hire the scribes’ services from the churches. Challenges like the one faced by the Hussites among others necessitated the invention of a method for mass production of manuscripts for use by the authorities and the churches. Like other inventions during the renaissance period, the invention of the printing press was not attributed to the efforts of single philosopher but rather the efforts of different innovators of the early centuries. Though the printing process gained prominence in Europe in the 13th century, the discovery of the art was attributed to the trading links that the continent developed with china. China is believed to be the first developer of a movable printing machine after the discovery of printing process by Bi Sheng. Though the Chinese are credited for the invention of printing in the 13th century, it is the work of Johann Gutenberg that has been attributed to the production of the first printing machine. In the centuries that followed, the art of printing gained prominence in Europe as religious and political leaders adopted the method for the large scale production of their manuscripts. The emergence of the renaissance period further led to the discovery of new roles for printing in the continent. As a result, the study of the history and development of the printing press in Europe revolves around the role it played in passing information from one group to the other2. Role of the printing press in the renaissance movement The renaissance movement is a historical era that was characterized in cultural changes that affected different countries in Europe between the 14th and the 17th century. During this time, the development of knowledge and the discovery of new ideas increased and spread from different parts of the European continent. The wild fire like spread of renaissance in Europe was attributed to a number of factors including the invention of the printing press. As a result, the printing press that was discovered a decade before the renaissance period had massive impacts on this era and is believed to have played a major role in the dissemination of information across the continent. The discovery of the printing press in the western culture has been attributed to the loss of the medieval culture and the adoption of new ways of life in Italy, German and France3. Before Gutenberg developed the printing press, the Cicero’s rhetoric was common in hand written form in Italy and was copied from book to book by the scribes working within the churches. As a result of the introduction of the printing press, a number of book manuscript producers such as Vespasian were forced to close their shops. According to Eisenstein, the discovery of the printing press led to a major mutation in the Italian renaissance movement as information concerning the religious and political leaders was easily spread from one end to the other4. Before the introduction of the printing press, books and the manuscripts were expensive due to the process of reproduction and circulation. The use of skin and well processed cloths for the transfer of Christian and political knowledge was ineffective as few people were able to access the books. However, the invention of the printing press opened a new chapter which led to an increase in demand for books and a quick spread of knowledge which accelerated the renaissance movement5. The educated middle class were able to access the books and such books were reproduced in languages that they could easily understand. Several types of books were produced in large numbers and made available to the middle and the low class who were able to read and write a process that led to a speedy transfer of information from one culture to the other. The increased demand for books in Europe in general and Italy in particular led to the development of the book and paper trade as the demand for reading and printing materials escalated. This led to an increase in the population literacy levels and the development of a stronger economy6. This is due to the fact that the books led to the spread of new philosophies which revolved around the discovery of new knowledge and forms of life that were spread by the renaissance scholars. Before the renaissance period, scholars in Europe were guided by the manuscripts produced by the scribes in churches and this led to the growth of Christian ideologies among the masses7. Due to their in availability and lack of knowledge of the Latin and Greek language, the ancient pagan Greece and Rome writings called the classics were ignored. However, the introduction of the printing press led to the mass production of the classics and increased access by the literate folks in Europe. As a result, manuscripts that had been ignored for more than 2000 years were retrieved, reproduced through printing and circulated across the continent. Through these readings, the intellects identified the emphasis that was placed on the power of man, his intellectual abilities and the life on earth8. This knowledge acted as a catalyst to the renaissance period as it ushered in a new era of reading, writing and the rediscovery of new knowledge. By leading to a decrease in the prices of the reading materials, the printing press contributed to the explosion of renaissance due to the fact that it made information accessible to the masses. For example, the decision of Martin Luther King to launch the protestant reformation in Germany was assisted by the advent of the printing press as he made multiple copies of the ninety five theses that were used to spread the protestant ideology9. Impact of the printing press on a manuscript society Before the invention of mass production of writing through the printing press, religious and historical writings were done by the scribes on the manuscripts. These manuscripts were made on finely processed animal skin and cloth and this increased the cost of mass production. As a result, few people had access to the manuscripts as the prices remained high and few copies were produced to meet the needs of the middle class. However, the invention of the printing press changed the dynamics of the reading culture in the continent as the materials were easily available and less costly as compared to the cost of the manuscripts10. Before the advent of the printing press, oral communication was the only readily available affordable way of transferring information from one generation to another. Due to the fact that oral communication depends on the ability of one person to keep the information intact, oral communication was subject to manipulation and alteration, affecting the original information as it moved from one generation to the other. In the event that an entire community perished in war, historical information about their ancestors and culture would be buried together with them as no written manuscripts would be accessible. The invention of the printing press thus changed the dynamics of historical development and the transfer of information in Europe in a significant manner. The development of manuscripts on animal skin or on the papyrus scroll was one of the most engaging tasks which affected the ready availability of the reading materials11. The process of making one manuscript will take several days and the input of several scribes, thus increasing the cost and quality of the written information. The invention of the printing press eliminated the laborious manuscript production in the continent and introduced a method that was easily adopted by different cultures across Europe. As a result of the codex printing, many copies of the manuscripts were made and the information was transferred to different people within the society due to the cheap cost of the printed books. The printing press also allowed for the democratization of knowledge in Europe and Asia as a great number of individuals were able to access the written materials12. The written work was also more uniform as a result of the printing press as compared to the years of the manuscript when the nature of the work depended on the experience and attitude of the scribe13. Books were initially scribed by individuals without a standard format for spacing and fonts and the inconsistencies in the grammar and the handwriting affected the ability of the readers to understand the information that was written. Through the invention of the printing press, consistency in grammar, writing format and standard was developed and this led to the easy accessibility of the information to people of varying education levels. Readers were therefore able to easily interpret the information and thoughts of the previous generations and ideas which further accelerated the historical development of the kingdoms and cultures. The availability of the reading materials in Europe led to an increase in literacy levels in the continent as the adults and the youths gained interest in pursuing educational ends. As a result, the printing press acted as a foundation for the industrial revolution for it produced a more enlightened and informed generation as compared to the manuscript society14. Adults in the continent were now able to access books and information that prior to the invention of the printing press was expensive and non-accessible to the royal families and the rich members of the society. The low prices of the books led to mass production of different books and genres that by 1500, more than 5o million copies of publications were already made and availed to the general public. The invention of the printing press also played a major role in the transformation of the oral medieval culture as information was transferred from one generation to another with ease15. According to Eisenstein however, the development of the printing press had insignificant impacts on the mediaeval culture in Europe as the continent was already literate even before the invention of the printing press. Instead of bringing the monumental change in literacy, the printing press according to Eisenstein simply changed Europe from one literate form to another. Though this argument has persisted, the impacts of the printing press on a manuscript society in Europe are quite visible as it accelerated the spread of information through the mass production of books. The religious transformation and change in the continent was also not spared by the invention of the printing press. Before this invention, the churches used the scribes to record the preaching and teachings in the manuscripts, a process that was time consuming and tiring. However, the introduction of the printing press significantly changed this approach as different members of the church could now access the religious materials in print form16. The printing press and spread of knowledge to wider audience The discovery of the printing press led to a paradigm shift in the manner in which information was being transferred within the ancient societies. Just like the development of language that led to the growth of information transfer and communication between individuals, the discovery of the printing press affected access of information among a large group of audience. As compared to the previous approaches used to write and store historical information, the transfer of knowledge in print form led to increased access and availability within a bigger audience17. The books were produced in large numbers and sent to different book stores across Europe from where the people could buy them. As a result, information about the Chinese, the Japanese, the Greek revolution, the Italian medieval culture among others was transferred to different parts of the continent and accessed by people of varying social standings. The mass production of bibles and religious transfer of information was also enhanced through the discovery of the printing press. Before this discovery, the churches used block printing which was not only unreliable but also tiresome and unaffordable to a large mass of audience18. The discovery of the printing press therefore increased the societal access to religious teachings and information that transformed the continent and led to the spread of Christianity. The spread of information from one writer to other readers through the manuscript also failed to acknowledge the work and contribution of the authors and the owners of the ideas. However, the invention of the printing press led to spread of information from one continent to another with the original author of the information achieving their credit as their signatures was carried in all the books they produced. This led to the development of initial authorship and ownership idea on written materials as the printing inhibited mass production and sales without the permission of the original authors (McLuhan, 1962). The thinking of Europe was also change through the invention of the printing press as the use of images and beautiful pages that illuminated the concept of the authors was introduced. The printing also led to more emphasis on the printed work as opposed to mere illustration of the images and the aesthetic nature of the manuscripts. This changed the adoption of the medieval writing format that was illustrated through images and figures to a more empirical and practical writing approaches19. As a result, knowledge was brought closer to the people who were allowed to access and read the books at a time of their choosing without restriction as was evident among the Christians before the introduction of the printing press20. As a result of the introduction of the printing press, theological breakthroughs were also witnessed within the churches due to the introduction of an easily accessible communication channel. The churches changed their over reliance on the scribes whose work was inadequate to meet the needs of the churches. One of the pioneer beneficiaries of the printing press is believed to be the church as they found a means to increase the production of the bible and the religious teachings. In the medieval culture, the bible was only read by the religious leaders and a few nobles within the churches. However, this changed with the introduction of the printing press as different communities and cultures were able to access the bible and understand the teachings21. This increased the spread of Christianity in the region as the input of the religious leaders was bolstered by the readily available religious books and manuscripts in the continent. When martin Luther king introduced his reformist ideology to the protestant masses in German, he had a ready means of making available his theses to the people who would later follow his teaching and join his doctrinal world of the Protestants. The literacy of the lay was stimulated by the invention of the printing press and this had deep and long lasting implication on their private lives22. By producing books of varying subjects, students, religious leaders and the political elite were able to access materials of varying depth and knowledge and this influenced their individual reasoning. Apart from access to knowledge by the common masses, the introduction of the printing press also affected the social standing of the nobles in the continent. As the common man continued to access and gain knowledge that initially was a preserve of the highest class, the position and influence of the nobles continued to degenerate23. This occurred as the social classes and power of the common businessmen and religious leaders increased due to the information power that they accessed through reading the readily available reading materials. The peasants also benefited from the knowledge that enabled them to own and use their land constructively to improve their economic and social standings in the society. The invention of the printing press therefore had massive impact on the spread and accessibility of knowledge within the continent and this increased the influence of the common people24. Impacts of the printing press on the reformation and industrial revolution The reformation period marked a time in religious history when the Protestants chose to cut the links with the Roman Catholic under the leadership of martin Luther king. By posting the theses on the church door, king was not inciting his followers to vandalism but following a practice that had been adopted of using the church door as the bulletin board. The reformation movement of martin Luther king that led to the formation of the Anglican Church and other protestant churches across the world was credited to the impacts created by the Gutenberg printing press and technology25. The printing press thus had significant impacts on the reformation movement in Europe as it provided a forum for the movement and accelerated its impacts. The success of the reformation movement was dependent on reading and literacy levels of the Germans as king produced multiple doctrinal writings to dissuade the people into joining his course. The impact of these writings on the Germans has been debated by different historians who argue that the literacy level of the rural Germans could not allow understanding the message passed by king. By setting the reading culture and foundation in Europe and Germany in particular, the discovery of the printing press increased the overall literacy level of the people and this allowed king to pass his information across the country with ease. The printing press also enabled him to reproduce the ninety-five theses and send to different leaders across the country. To spread the message and gain meaningful support, the theses was read to the illiterate as people gathered in their households after and before meals. As a result, those who were literate enough were given copies to read to the others as more were produced and sent to others across the country. This was necessitated by the discovery of the printing press in the country, a process which would have been impossible during the manuscript era26. To reach a large population, the reformist movement needed large scale printing machines and equipment which were built after the discovery of the printing press by Gutenberg. His discovery led to an increase in printing press business in German, a blessing for the reformist movement as they were able to produce multiple copies of their theses and send to Christians beyond the borders of Germany27. The growth of the printing press in German was facilitated by the fact that it was the country of the innovator and the native businessmen bought and implemented his idea earnestly. Due to the high number of printers in Germany, Luther chose Germany as his reproduction centre of his thesis and this accelerated his reformation agenda in the continent. Through the printing press, the spread of propaganda by the reformist movement was facilitated and this enhanced the ideology of martin Luther king and enabled him to achieve his goals of forming a protestant church in the continent28. The industrial revolution took place at a time when the discovery and development of the printing press had gained ground and was in use in different parts of the continent. Though the revolution was initiated by the necessity and increase in population and demand, the printing press innovation had massive impacts in its spread across the continent. The era of industrial revolution began in England and later spread to other countries like Germany, France and Russia due to the advances of made in the printing press29. Information about innovation and discoveries were moved from one country to other through the printing press and this enhanced the process in the other countries. The printing press machine itself was reproduced and redesigned by different scientists from different countries during the industrial revolution and this led to the development of an efficient printing system30. Conclusion The printing press is considered as the pioneer innovations made by man during the 13th century after the techniques of mass production were copied from the Chinese. However, the development of the first printing press has been attributed to the German goldsmith Gutenberg whose first modelled was used as the basis for the development of other printer models. The innovation of the printing press in Europe produced massive impacts in literacy and reading culture in Europe as the traditional manuscripts were replaced by the less expensive printed documents31. Christians and religious leaders produced their work through the printing press and this increased their availability among the literate members of the society. The impacts of the printing press were also felt in German during the reformation movement led by Luther king that is credited for the birth of the Protestants. The innovation of the printing press had significant impacts on the historical development in Europe and other countries as has been discussed in this paper, which was characterized by increased access to information by the common man. References Dewar, J 2000, The information age and the printing press: Looking backward to see ahead. Available at: http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=347634.348784archive. Dittmar, J 2011, Information Technology and Economic Change: The Impact of The Printing Press, Quarterly Journal Of Economics, 126, 3, pp. 1133-1172. Dixon, C 1999, The German Reformation. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. Eisenstein, E 1979, The Printing Press as an Agent of Change: Communication and cultural transformation in early modern Europe.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Eisenstein, E 1993, The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Finkelstein, D, and McCleery, A 2005, An introduction to book history, New York: Routledge. Gillespie, A 2006, Print Culture and the Medieval Author: Chaucer, Lydgate, and Their Books 1473-1557, Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Gordon, W 2010, A guide for the perplexed. London: Continuum. Jones, B 2007 Manuscripts, Books, and Maps: The Printing Press and a Changing World, Available at: http://communication.ucsd.edu/bjones/Books/printech.html Kang, W, & Loh, T 2004, Re-examining the impact of printing on medieval Korean society, Conference Papers -- International Communication Association, p. 1. McKitterick, D 2003, print, manuscript, and the search for order, 1450-1830 Cambridge: Cambridge university press. McLuhan, M 1962, The Gutenberg Galaxy the making of the typographic man, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. Read More