Printing Press Dbq

Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the movable type printing press changed the world. It changed religion, literature, and geography. He used molds instead of having scribes handwrite books. It helped produce written works at a much faster rate than previously. This made them cheaper, and more affordable to the less fortunate. This increased the literacy rate. Gutenberg’s original printing press was invented in Germany, but quickly spread throughout Europe (Document 2). Gutenberg’s creation is no doubt one of the most useful things we have in today’s world.

Religion was one of the things on which the printing press had the most impact. The first book printed was a copy of the Bible into English, French, and German. These were the first versions

of the Bible to not be in Latin, this made it accessible to everyone, not just the clergy. It also assisted new ideas spread, for example Martin Luther’s 95 Theses. Luther’s work helped create Lutheranism, which spread across Europe in the mid 1500’s (Document 5). Due to the lower cost of books, religious texts were also easily accessible, this helped the spread of religion.
The world of literacy was changed forever when the printing press began (Document 8). Books were being printed hundreds of times faster than before. This helped them become cheaper, and more available. In that time, reading was only a skill the wealthy would learn due to the expense of the writings. The printing press eliminated this issue. The literacy rate nearly tripled in the following years.
Geography wasn’t as instant of a result as religion and literacy. Years afterwards, maps began to be mass produced, and distributed throughout the world. New versions of maps were revised as time went on, to provide a more accurate image (Document 7). The maps helped teach people about where they were in the world; they were also really useful in the educational system.
The Gutenberg printing press is very important, it advanced education, spread religion, and the Renaissance. It is through printing that we have the educational system that we have today. It has helped in the advancement of technology, and innovation. The Gutenberg printing press helped the world become the place it is today. It was truly a tremendous achievement.