Globalism And Reformation Similarities

The people and ideas that make up the time periods known as “The Reformation” and “Globalism” are vastly different in many ways. Their hair and clothing style was dramatically different, and the lack of technology in computers and travel was significant when compared to the twentieth century, the time period referred to as “globalism”. Contrary, though, to what it might seem, these two time periods are actually very similar in many ways. Both time periods involve individuals who are searching for truth and using new technology to spread their ideas.

During the Reformation, there were a few strong people who saw problems with the way things had always been done. The religious institutions had corrupt leaders who were not teaching in accordance
with the Bible. They were making up whatever they wanted, and they had the power to get away with this because they were also part of the government. There arose a movement to refute and stop this. Tenacious opposers took strong stands to point out the errors of what was going on, and to try to reform the religious system in power. This did not go over well with the religious leaders, but after years of battling and debating, the protestant view of Christianity earned the freedom to worship as they wished. In a similar way, in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, which is referred to as globalism, people were rebelling against the way things traditionally were done. Not only were they rebelling against a church system, but also an entire lifestyle. There was a copious number of people who were testing new things, and trying to live a life that was different than their parents and grandparents. In the generations before, the majority of people were either immigrants and working-class farmers, poor people working hard to provide a better life for their families. With the innovations in industrial technology in the early twentieth century, it became easier to spend more time thinking, studying, and enjoying leisure time. This led to a large number of people exploring new ideas and philosophies.

The great influx of new ideas and rebellion against old ideas in both of these time periods might not have been attained without the advent of new forms of information transportation. During the Reformation, the printing press had just been invented. This allowed the common person to quickly and efficiently spread information and ideas. Before the invention of the printing press, the only people who could easily share information were the wealthy and powerful. Since the common people could now print whatever they wanted to be able to distribute, it was much easier to influence the population toward one view or another. Announcements could be made about debates, rallies, or other political activities, which allowed more people to attend. In a similar way, during the Globalism period, technology allowed for websites, blogs, social media, and other ways for the common people to share information. In the past the power was in a few big news companies, and they were able to control a majority of the news and philosophies that was shared. But with so much new technology, predominantly the internet, information can reach the entire world in a matter of seconds. This is remarkably similar to the implementation and invention of the printing press centuries before, and had similar effects on the people.