Renaissance is an ideological and cultural movement that rose in Italian cities at the end of 13 and then spread to western European countries, and prevailed in Europe in 16 century. It is also an anti-feudal cultural movement led by the bourgeoisie in the ideological and cultural fields.
In medieval Europe, the trade center was concentrated on the Mediterranean coast, and Italy was the first to sprout capitalism. The germination of capitalism is the product of the development of commodity economy to a certain stage. Commodity economy runs through the market, and the market is the embodiment of freedom. If you want to have this kind of "freedom", you need the freedom of ownership of the means of production, and the premise of these freedoms is human freedom. At this time, Italy calls for human freedom. The stale Europe needs a new ideological movement to advocate human freedom. The emergence of budding capitalism made the rise of this ideological movement possible. The prosperity of urban economy has made wealthy businessmen, workshop owners and bankers with great wealth and success more confident in their personal values and strength, more full of innovative and enterprising spirit, and versatile, elegant and knowledgeable people are universally respected. This provided a profound material foundation and a suitable social environment for the Renaissance.
The achievements of ancient Greece and Rome in literature and art are very high, and people can freely express various academic ideas, which is in sharp contrast with the dark Middle Ages. /kloc-At the end of 0/4, due to the invasion of the Ottoman Empire who believed in Islam, many scholars in East Rome (Byzantium) brought a large number of ancient Greek and Roman art treasures and books on literature, history and philosophy. Some scholars from Eastern Rome established a school called "Greek Academy" in Florence, Italy, to teach the splendid history, civilization and culture of Greece. This brilliant achievement is consistent with the spiritual realm pursued by people after the germination of capitalism. Therefore, many scholars from western Europe demanded to restore the culture and art of ancient Greece and Rome. This demand, like the spring breeze, slowly spread to the whole of western Europe, and the Renaissance rose.
As an ideological emancipation movement to promote the emerging bourgeois culture, the Renaissance laid the ideological and theoretical foundation for the germination and rise of early capitalism, and also accumulated primitive wealth for the early bourgeoisie.
Renaissance liberated people from the shackles of traditional feudal theology, created great scientific and cultural achievements for Europe, provided a knowledge base for the opening of new air routes, and created spiritual wealth and knowledge base for the later industrial revolution, thus promoting the success of the bourgeois revolution in all aspects.
New route opened
From the end of 15 to the beginning of 16, in order to raise the primitive accumulation needs of money and capital needed for the rapid development of commodity economy, and the Ottoman Empire controlled the highway passages in Eurasia, the emerging bourgeoisie in Europe sought routes to China and India. Europeans discovered America, a great geographical discovery, and opened up a new route to the East.
The opening of the new sea route changed the basic closure of the country, laid the foundation for the subsequent plunder in Europe and triangle trade, and provided a huge means of production and market for the development of capitalism. The opening of new air routes promoted the rapid rise of capitalism.
The opening of the new air route affirmed the scientific and cultural achievements created by the Renaissance, consolidated the ideological foundation of the Renaissance, and opened the way for the spread of bourgeois ideology and culture (and later ideological revolution). Capitalism has spread from Europe to the world.
With the opening of new air routes, the scope of European trade has expanded unprecedentedly, the ties between Western Europe and other nationalities in the world have been strengthened, and the world market has begun to take shape. The European trade center moved from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic coast, and Italy's commercial status was gradually replaced by Spain, Portugal, Britain and the Netherlands.
After the opening of the new sea route, Spain and other countries plundered a large amount of gold and silver from the colonies, and the precious metals in western Europe increased by more than three times, resulting in a decline in the price of gold and silver, an increase in prices and a decrease in the purchasing power of money. From the 1930s of 16 to the end of 16, the prices in Spain rose by more than four times, while those in Britain, France and other countries rose by two to two and a half times. Huge profits. The fixed-currency land rent collected by feudal landlords was also affected by the price revolution. The price revolution is one of the primitive accumulation factors, which has helped the growth of capitalism in western Europe. With the opening of new shipping routes, Portugal and Spain, the first countries to start colonial expansion and plunder, did not use the plundered wealth for the development of capitalism because of the extravagance and waste of Spanish and Portuguese feudal rulers. On the contrary, the strength of these two old colonial countries is relatively weakened. 1640, Britain first broke out the bourgeois revolution, which opened a new chapter in world history. Capitalist Britain rose in the world, replacing Portugal and Spain as a new colonial power.
The opening of the new sea route provided conditions for the European bourgeoisie to carry out the colonial policy. On the one hand, it brought the rapid development of capitalism, on the other hand, it brought disaster to the later developed countries and nations, forming the contradiction between colonialism and colonial countries and nations. As a result, the world set off the movement of independence and national liberation of colonial countries, and then the socialist revolution took place. Capitalism has exposed its negative side and backwardness in its rapid development.
The seeds of capitalism
The germination of capitalism is a new production relationship in feudal society, which has the vitality of new things. Once produced, unless there are irresistible reasons, it will not give up halfway, but will lead to a new mode of production. Productivity is the premise of the germination of capitalism. European capitalism has greatly promoted the development of productive forces, and the progress of science and technology and economy has further led to great changes in economic structure, class structure, ideology and values, triggered a bourgeois revolution, and made Europe capitalist.
The seeds of European capitalism triggered the Renaissance in Europe, pushing Europeans to open up new sea routes and make "great geographical discoveries". However, the Renaissance Movement and the opening of new air routes, in turn, acted on the vigorous growth of European capitalist seeds, and then promoted the bourgeois revolution and industrial revolution in Europe, bearing the fruits of capitalist development.
British bourgeois revolution and industrial revolution
The three aspects mentioned above (Renaissance, opening up new routes and budding capitalism) promoted the bourgeois revolution and industrial revolution.
From 1640 to 1688, when James II abdicated, the British bourgeois revolution overthrew feudal rule and established the British capitalist system. The British bourgeois revolution was a great victory of capitalist system over feudal system in human history, which cleared the way for the rapid development of British capitalism. The British bourgeois revolution started the bourgeois revolutionary movement in Europe and North America and promoted the development of world history.
The Industrial Revolution, also known as the industrial revolution, originated in central England and refers to the early course of capitalist industrialization, that is, capitalist production has completed the transition from workshop handicraft industry to machine industry. The industrial revolution is a production and scientific and technological revolution in which machines replace manpower and large-scale factory production replaces manual production in individual workshops. In the mid-2008+08 century, after the Englishman Watt improved the steam engine, a series of technological revolutions caused a great leap from manual labor to power machine production. Then spread to Britain and even the whole European continent,19th century spread to North America. The industrial revolution greatly improved labor efficiency and the ratio of product value to labor value. The industrial revolution greatly increased the intensity and time of labor, making labor increasingly simple; It caused the transformation from handicraft workshop industry to factory industry; Created the era of building big machines.
The Renaissance, the opening of new air routes and the germination of capitalism promoted the bourgeois revolution and industrial revolution in Europe (first Britain, then America). The bourgeois revolution and industrial revolution in Europe and America are the inevitable results of the European Renaissance, the opening of new routes and the germination of capitalism. Capitalism developed in modern history is superior to the dark feudal system in medieval Europe, which is a great progress for mankind. This has not only greatly liberated social productive forces, but also greatly liberated human beings themselves, bringing about fundamental changes in production methods and the prosperity of science, technology and culture. The bourgeoisie has played a progressive role and made positive contributions to the opening of modern human history. The bourgeois revolution is a great progress in history, and history is still advancing.