Are there factors which caused the printing revolution to begin in Europe in 1450 and not some other place some other time?
Upvote:9
A modern misconception was that Gutenberg invented printing; this was not the case. Woodblock printing was a craft over a thousand years old when he came about.
Another misconception was that Gutenberg invented moveable type; this was not the case either. Moveable type was invented four hundred years before Gutenberg's time in China, and made its way to Europe eventually.
What Gutenberg did invent were various tools and procedures to print more, faster, and cheaper (most importantly the hand mould and the printing press, which significantly sped up the process). This allowed European printing to catch up with Chinese/Korean book production, and eventually overtake it.
So it is more appropriate to look at Gutenberg's work as a big evolutionary step, not actually a revolution. He didn't invent all of it in a blaze of divine inspiration; he (significantly) optimized existing processes.
There were corroborating factors that helped the "taking off" part in Europe.
One of them was already brought up by @Semaphore -- alphabets (prevalent in Europe) are easier to set in print than syllabaries or logograms, as there are fewer glyphs to chose from. This is a gradual quality, though; it is certainly possible to use moveable type with e.g. the Chinese writing system (see above).
Another factor favoring Europe was the high demand by wealthy patrons for one specific, large book -- the bible -- offering high potential profits that could be re-invested.
So... yes, it could have happened earlier, or in a different place of the world. It did happen in other places, to be exact -- it just did not "take off" the way it did in Europe.
More post
- 📝 Is it true that all revolutions/uprising could only be "resolved" with the backing of an armed force?
- 📝 Was it ever possible for Germany to win WWII?
- 📝 Why does the Central Treaty Organization include the word "central"?
- 📝 How did the Scottish lowlands get their Gaelic name?
- 📝 How did the Romans supply water in winter?
- 📝 Who, if any, in JFK's inner circle argued against the plans for the Bay of Pigs invasion?
- 📝 Had anyone envisioned a "wipeout" scenario for Japan in the Pacific for World War II?
- 📝 Why did the southern states have to be readmitted?
- 📝 Is Islamic law largely derivative of Catholic canon law?
- 📝 How heavy were the heaviest war hammers actually used?
- 📝 Why was the US so pro-China and so anti-Japan before WW2?
- 📝 Did pirates really drink a lot of rum?
- 📝 Was there any theological opposition to the lightning rod?
- 📝 What caused the rapid African population growth in the last decades?
- 📝 Who was the first Russian in space (not Soviet)?
- 📝 German 10 zehn heller
- 📝 Was there a fighter jet designed without cannons?
- 📝 Why couldn't the Ottoman Empire modernise at the same time as Meiji Japan did?
- 📝 Does the rule of tincture apply within a variation of the field?
- 📝 Is there any short summary of John Rowe's theory of horizons about the Incas?
- 📝 Martin Luther's 95 Theses
- 📝 Australian Immigration 1945-present
- 📝 Did Ramsay Macdonald have a Vietnamese mistress living near Downing Street?
- 📝 Can you please help identify this military uniform (1700's)?
- 📝 Are the following 5 tenets of historical record examination considered complete today?
- 📝 Why was the duration of territorial contracts often 99 years?
- 📝 During the Normandy landings, were any German naval assets brought to bear against the Allies?
- 📝 Why so many early temples on Malta?
- 📝 What was the summer uniform of the streltsy?
- 📝 The Great Compromise, is there analysis on the outcome?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Are there factors which caused the printing revolution to begin in Europe in 1450 and not some other place some other time?
- 📝 What are the factors that caused the new world civilizations to be less technologically advanced than the old world?
- 📝 Are there any documented examples of wooden ships which were in active service for 100 years or more? If not, what is the longest?
- 📝 Are there any specific events which grants a soldier permission to execute a prisoner on sight? (Like in the movie: Fury)
- 📝 Are there notes by the Founding Fathers which indicate why DC citizens were denied a vote in Congress?
- 📝 (Why) are there two different versions of the photograph of inmates at the Buchenwald concentration camp?
- 📝 Are there any accounts of everyday life during the Black Death?
- 📝 Are there photos/footage of the Titanic sinking?
- 📝 Is there a historical explanation as to why the USA people are so litigious compared to the French?
- 📝 Is it true that there are more slaves in the world now than ever at one point in history?
- 📝 Why are there so many laws about eye injuries in the Code of Hammurabi?
- 📝 Are there historical instances of the capital of a colonising country being temporarily or permanently shifted to one of its colonies?
- 📝 Which languages would be most useful in Europe at the end of the 19th century?
- 📝 Is there any documentation that indicates the Aztecs were as violent as they are made out?
- 📝 What factors enabled Europe to conquer almost the whole world?
- 📝 Are there ancient historical sources which have been permanently lost?
- 📝 What caused the 1979 Iranian revolution to become Islamic?
- 📝 Was there ever any doubt which side the USA would join?
- 📝 Why are most of the world's oldest buildings in Europe and not in the Fertile Crescent?
- 📝 Have there been any efforts by the countries of Europe to restore their monarchies?
- 📝 Are there any scientific estimates for the population of Mycenaean Greece?
- 📝 What were the factors that caused the world to move away from the Gold Standard in the 20th century?
- 📝 What (primary) sources are there on the life of female slaves in Classical Greece, more specifically Athens?
- 📝 Why are there no photorealistic paintings from the old days?
- 📝 Which European countries did not have a revolution in the aftermath of the French Revolution and why?
- 📝 Are there any existing foreign language teaching texts from the Ancient Near East?
- 📝 Are there any historians who believe that the crusades were not motivated as a distraction from internal conflicts?
- 📝 Are there Indian accounts of the Battle of the Hydaspes Rivers?
- 📝 Were there any Roman villas in Britain which were used rather than destroyed after the Romans left?
- 📝 Which single-car accident in history caused the most deaths?