History of the World Part I

The Medieval Period From the collapse of the Roman empire to the Renaissance – roughly the seventh century to the middle of the 15 th century Strictly hierarchical and static society Strong Roman Catholic Church Man in a fallen state Education conducted in Latin, mostly to create clerics.

The Renaissance Roughly the fifteenth through the seventeenth century Humanism The Protestant Reformation The invention of moveable type and the publication of the Bible in the vernacular

The Enlightenment and the Age of Reason Roughly the late 17 th and 18 th centuries Politics: the social contract and the concept of natural rights Increasing prestige of and progress in the natural sciences, especially in the work of Sir Isaac Newton Using reason, humans could discover the truth of nature beneath the corruptions introduced by religion, social structure, and convention Belief in progress

The Age of Revolution The American Revolution of 1776 The French Revolution of 1789