Example research essay topic: Russian Revolution Printing Press Began - 787 words

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Events in global history are sometimes called revolutions when they have a significant impact on the direction that history takes. Time has been speckled by major turning points that have contributed to life, as we know it. Many great minds were encouraged in Europe between the 1300 s and 1600 s; this time of drastic change was called the Renaissance. After years of oppression the Church could no longer keep the lid on peoples minds. They began to ask questions and search for answers that would make sense.

As a result, the focus of life at this time swung from the dominating, even tyrannical Church to a much more accepting, scientific arena. New schools and colleges became increasingly common. And with the educational increase, new inventions and beliefs among intellectuals such as Leonardo da Vinci, Sofonisba Anguissola, and Albrecht Drer were created. As peoples curiosity began to overcome their fear, many started to venture out and explore.

People in wealthy Italian cities began to focus more on art than on the Bible, freeing their minds from the ropes imposed by the Church. This mental emancipation lead to swing the governmental systems from Feudalism to Monarchies and, eventually from Monarchies to democracies. A major contribution to the success of the Renaissance was the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1451. As the Renaissance ideas spread, people began to take an interest in art, poetry, and other intellectual topics. The books that were previously copied by hand could now be produced for the masses at a fraction of the cost, conforming to the present need for knowledge. Lay people in the peasant or middle classes could now afford to buy texts and educate their children.

All throughout Europe life was being redefined as the general public learned more about their world. However, the more long-term effect of the printing press was the preservation of knowledge throughout the centuries. Now that books were no longer transferred word for word the risk of corruption through the ages was eliminated. Many events culminated during the cold year of 1905, causing it to be a pivotal year in the development of the Russian Revolution. The year began in a foreboding manner with a labor strike lead by Father George Gapon that culminated in a massacre of workers in St.

Petersburg. It ended equally violent with an armed uprising in Moscow. The poor farmers were tired of their political oppression and the fear of continued injustice was only slightly rippled in October by Czar Nicolas II declaring Russia a Constitutional Monarchy. Before this year, the revolutionary pressures on the government derived solely from the social elite but now the poor had a few more rights and more say in the running of the country.

However, the citizens still wanted more freedoms and decided to lead an assault on the capital to institute a democratic republic. Two days after the assault the government regained control, but the peasants and workers gained the confidence needed to change their lives in the future... they now believed they could achieve equality. Nearly thirty years after the first Russian Revolution the Spanish rebellion reached a fevered pitch during July of 1936.

There was a deadlock of forces by this time for six years, leaving Spain unstable and vulnerable. The streets were rained with bullets as the people calling for Communism and those demanding Fascism, lead by General Franco, decided the new leadership. But before 1936, in the early thirty's was when it all began. Students and workers overthrew Primo de Rivera's government after a massive riot only to have the new governments that followed replaced shortly after their conception due to the continued oppression. The Anarchist organizations were gaining power by preaching their Bakuninist idealism to any-one who would listen. However, they failed to over-throw the government after several poorly planed battles.

The Socialist Party grasped at the straw of power also, but failed to meet any of the chief demands of the people. Unfortunately nobody could oust them from power. As the Spanish fought down revolutions on one side they were struggling to mold their new government into a definite shape on the other, an almost impossible task. Franco in the end surmounted all the obstacles and took control of the country, uniting it.

If the Spanish hadnt attempted the rebellion, the culture would have been different, but Hitler would never had a chance to test his Blitzkrieg on them, perhaps avoiding the Second World War. Throughout the ages as the world was forming itself, radical, but often necessary, revolutions took place. If it wasnt for the bravery portrayed by several revolutionary leaders, the world would be a very different place than it is today.

Research essay sample on Russian Revolution Printing Press Began