The Rebirth

14 th 17 th Centuries
 Directly translated from
French, renaissance means
rebirth.

Seen as a movement away from

the stagnation of the Middle
Ages.

Advances in the arts, science,

literature, politics, and
education occur as a middle
class begins to emerge in
European societies
 The people werent
happy!
They had lived under the
feudal system as peasants
for hundreds of years,
since the fall of the
Roman Empire.
Ignorance is Bliss-
Peasants were kept
ignorant, to stop
rebellion
 The Bubonic Plague had
killed over 1/3rd of the
population of Europe.
Pope of the Roman Catholic
Church had sanctioned the
Crusades.
This led to the discovery of
new items, such as spices
and trade goods.
The Church held supreme
power over people, and even
over kings, at times.
 The Rise of Independent
Cities in Northern Italy

Florence, Tuscany

These cities became

hotbeds for new ideas,
and the resurgence of
Ancient Greek ideals.
 The Renaissance
created a richer
middle class

This led to an
increase in the arts
and technological
research, as the
middle class society
spent their wealth.
The Renaissance led to the
prominence of several
artists including...
 The painter of The Last Supper(1498), Mona
Lisa(1505-1507), along with the Vitruvian Man(1485).
He was also considered a scientist, and invented many
machines, including scissors, submarines, a flying
machine!
 A renowned sculptor, he created the Bronze David,
the Tomb of Giovanni Crivelli, and many others.
Donatello created the first nude sculpture seen since
the fall of Rome.
 Created the statue of David and the Sistine Chapel
ceiling.
 An artist who worked for the Vatican
The Vatican city is filled with his pieces of art,
including The School of Athens and The Wedding
of The Virgin.
 RENAISSANCE IN SPAIN
The Renaissance spread to Spain
from Italy during the 15th and 16th
centuries.
New focus on art, literature and
science

Great importance placed on

exploration
During this time, the Americas
were discovered by Spain.
RENAISSANCE IN
FRANCE - 1495

Imported artistic forms of

architecture, painting,
sculpting, music, and sciences.

Early exploration of The New

World by explorers such as
Jacques Cartier
RENAISSANCE
IN ENGLAND, 1500s
Main focus on literature and music.
Poets and playwrights flourished such as:
William Shakespeare, John Milton, and Christopher
Marlowe.
 After the collapse of
the Roman Empire,
many of the
technological advances
made were lost

People lived in fear and

poor conditions, with
constant wars going
on, known as the Dark
Ages
 The feudal system had
lasted for centuries,
with no economic
freedom or individual
rights for the people

The greed for wealth

and power within the
Catholic Church led to
corruption
 During the 16th
century the nobility
and clergy held a
majority of the
power and wealth
Speaking out
against the church is
forbidden
 Catholic Church had
control over most of
Europe (1500s )
people would pay 10% of
their wage (tithe) and even
more wealth for
indulgences from the
Church, so that they would
be able to get into heaven.
The Catholic Church became very
wealthy through indulgences.

The Church used this money to

establish control and build many
cathedrals and churches
all across Europe.

It was also used to fund missions

to the new colonies
 Martin Luther disagreed with the selling of indulgences

Martin Luther then

came up with the
95 Theses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFqWn
EpZvjs
-Questions raised about the Roman Catholic religion
- Causes much question about ideas of the Church
- Separation and reformation of the Church occurs
- This disagreement results in much warfare and violence
Catholic denominations
through Reformation:
-Anabaptists
- Advertists
- Lutherans
- Pietism
- Baptists
- Anglicanism
- Methodists
- Calvinists
Society started to change rapidly and the flow
of different ideas got introduced
Peoples values and beliefs
used to be controlled by a
dictating Church that
ruled over everyone with
absolute power. But now
everyone was able to break
free and create and follow
their own ways of worship.
Thoughts of Adam Smith
 what was the Enlightenment all about?
 'Man is an animal that
No society can surely be flourishing
makes bargains; no other
and happy, of which the far greater
animal does this, - one
part of the members are poor and
dog does not change a
miserable.' Adam Smith
bone with another.' Adam
Smith

'No benevolent man ever lost

altogether the fruits of his
benevolence.' Adam Smith
 The textile industry has begun to boom
New wealth is being put towards education and
philosophers
They wanted to have an influence on the world
through new inventions and ideas
Local philosophers refused to
believe what they were
told in the past.
They believed ideas had to be
investigated and examined

http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scottishenlightenment/adamsmith/index.asp
 wrote The Wealth of Nations, in 1776.
The main ideas of his book revolved around
capitalism: human self-centeredness drove the
economy.
Government should not interfere with the free market
(known as laissez-faire)
Believed and supported individualistic ideas such as
self-interest, competition and economic freedom.
He believed that the invisible hand
that guides consumers to
purchase cheaper items.
WATCH THIS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CqMMxsN_7c
1806 - 1873
 During his life women had very few
freedoms. They were often seen as
possessions that were meant to be
controlled by the men of society.
Women rarely worked and even
given the opportunity to they were
sent to do remedial and simple
tasks with very little pay.
With Mills deep passion for
equality and Utilitarianism he
fought for the equality of women in
both the workplace and in society.
 Mill lived during the Industrial Revolution
and witnessed a dramatic change in attitudes
regarding industry and labour.
Mill saw an opportunity to push for equal
women's rights.
 Instead of using women as house keepers
and possessions, Mills fought for their
rights to work in association with men,
and to have equal rights in the areas of:
Work
Pay
Voting
Schooling
 Utilitarianism: Mills believed
that an action is morally right as
long as it leads to happiness. He
was one of the great liberal
defenders of personal
autonomy, civil liberties,
creativity, and individuality.
In this time Mills would have
been seen as a radical politician
bringing his country into an age
of modern liberalism a far leap
across the political spectrum.
 His Ideas
Fiercely defended right to free speech and was
against censorship

Taught that individuals were rational enough to

make decisions regarding their well being

Individuals should be free to choose whatever

religion they wanted

Began pushing for womens rights, animal rights,

and public education
John Stuart Mill developed the concept of

The Harm Principle

which stated any individual has the right to
act as he wants, so long as no one is
harmed because of it.
Your actions should benefit society not just
yourself.
Watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9IM3ZK
NMCk
 The Renaissance is viewed as
a shift to the left.
The creation of Humanist
ideals
Celebrating the individual
 Recognized as the
greatest period of art
production, and thought.
Renaissance is used in
modern English to show
a resurgence in
something, i.e. The
Renaissance of the
American Car Industry
 Humanist theories seen
in resurgence
Ideas of investing in the
arts and their value
perseveres to this day
Helps form Modern
Democracies.
 New Philosophies and
Ideas
Math Theories- 3D&2D
Scales for Artists
Education- History
Architectural Revival
Religious upheaval
Renaissance Man
(Blister In The Sun By The Violent Femmes)