Was_the_Reformation_Successful

Many would agree that the successful reformation in the 16th century marked the start of a newer, fairer society in Europe. This was because the current political, social, and economic issues at the time were not up to acceptable standards, and the reformation served as a relief of those political, social, and economic corruptions. Politically, the reformation’s leaders promised to resolve the governmental crisis that was constantly growing due to the disproportioned power between popes and monarchs. Socially, the problems of that time caused instability, and the minds of the citizens also became unstable and unsure of the future; all because of the corrupted way of governing and demanding religion. Economically, taxes stressed out the citizens of the various kingdoms, and they needed an escape or temporary relief from the enormous burden of taxes. The reformation succeeded considerably, due to these factors, and displayed the power of the people compared to a tyrant force. The political state that Europe found itself in during the 16th century was not very morally correct, and usually failed to keep the majority pleased. The papacies conflicted with the monarchs, and the monarchs with the nobles. The Catholic Church owned most of the ruling power, and individuality was discouraged. Charles V used a tyrannical, absolute power approach to governing his people, but he made far more foes than friends with this method. Citizens constantly rebelled, and revolutionary reformers arose from those desperate for change. Among these Reformation activists was Martin Luther. His ideas encouraged individualism, and firmly opposed the pope as a man of political power. Luther realized that the Church’s way of governing only added to the downfall of unity, and that the citizens needed a reason to be patriotic and in peace. Citizens desperate for stability found salvation in Luther’s extraordinary promising new way of managing political entities. A corrupted, unsteady tyranny was bound to fail at some time, and the need for a new form of government greatly increased as the years passed. The reformers served as a relief from the forces of the demanding Catholic Church and disproportioned power struggles. The society of 16th century Europe contained the minds of corrupt rulers and desperate citizens. Popes and kings dominated the minds and pockets of the people, and the Catholic Church pretty much owned their lives from start to finish. Religion was not only the way of life, but also the force that made sure that the way of life was followed. The belief in individual power and confidence decreased while the Catholic Church was in power, and bothered many of the citizens. Humanism’s impact ceased to grow while the popes and monarchs debated over who should be ruler, and this impacted the minds and pride of the people. A happy citizen is one who loves their country for what it is, but the 16th century citizens would probably not be able to name themselves happy. The society was abstract, with no balance of classes and the lack of a definite mindset. Several reformers also arose from these social obscurities, including John Calvin. He encouraged education and strict discipline, which helped to inform the people of their government. This new source of information and learning lured people to support the intelligent mind, and become knowledgeable about their society and how they could improve it. One may say that knowing something is better than knowing nothing, and this was definitely true in Europe’s society. A misinformed rebel will only cause more problems, as his purpose will be fought only with partial intelligence. The reformation promised new ways of logical thinking, which was favorable among the desperate citizens. Economic crisis was also raging throughout 16th century Europe, and several reformers also strived to put an end to it. Taxes from kings and popes overwhelmed the pockets of the citizens of Europe. There were taxes for everything, even for heaven. Indulgences were sold to expedite the road to heaven, and many were firmly opposed these, including Luther. Luther led the way not only to social improvement, but economic stability as well. He hoped to secede from the popes’ powers, and free his followers from the outrageous taxes imposed by the religious leaders and monarchs. He proposed the idea of fewer taxes, and belittled any ideas that imposed more taxes. Although the economy did not recover exclusively because of Luther, he did spark an economic reformation. A stable economy would appeal to merchants and other people of business, since it would ensure a more predictable path of profits. Merchants were not able to calculate when the economy would drop or raise, and this instability is what caused them to support the idea of a new, structured economy proposed by the reformers. Man prefers stability rather than surprise, and an economic reform would have been the answer to the issues. Reformation in 16th century Europe gave way to possibilities never thought possible by the citizens. Among these citizens, there were reformers that led the way into improvement and success. The current society at the time suffered from extreme corruption, and these new leaders relieved some tension between society and the people. History shows the true potential of man, but also shows his downfalls and mistakes. However, it is the method of rectification that one must analyze, rather than the mistake itself, since learning how to make a mistake is useless. Although full of corruption and instability, 16th century Europe gave birth to a reformation that would forever model changes to come.