It is debatable which aspect of PERSIA most influenced the revolution of the 1400's, however there is no better way to fully describe every point of this reformation in history without this acronym; PERSIA, or politics, economics, religion, society, intellect, and aesthetics. Revolution is well defined as “an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.” Although sometimes stated as a uniform set of years, revolution does not happen all at one time, and certainly does not happen quickly. At first, it begins with discord and unease in the people. This may just be one voice speaking out, dislodging the rock that begins the avalanche, or this may be the result of many voices scheming and conversing together. It is clear by the actions of the people of Florentine, though, that when they feel sometimes in their society is unjust, they will fight for what they believe is right, and this inevitably caused a revolution.
One of the major factors that brought about the Renaissance Revolution was the eruption of Humanists. Humanists essentially were against the Catholic Church of the time, because of their belief that every day was worth living and the human soul and mind should be studied. They believed that people as individuals were extremely important, hence the name Humanist, whereas the Church believed that (or as the Humanists saw it) one should live life devoted completely to God and not delve into the meaning of one's own life. You lived to serve God, and should therefore be perpetually afraid of damnation. Humanists brought about the Revolution because they saw things in a whole new light. They brought new conversations to the people of Rome, they were able to break the mold and let the citizens wonder and question their society. For once there was a driving force questioning the all-powerful Church, when before every last being of Rome had bowed down before it.
Also associated with the Church, the though that one could pay off sins with money was accepted. This, however, was only a tool for the wealthy. The idea was this; donate a sum of money to the Pope, and your sins will be rebuked, you will no longer have to suffer the wrath of Hell. The Humanists hated this, saying that it is wrong ( a sin, even ) to attempt to pay off sins to get into Heaven, and it is an impossible feat, which will only get your closer to Hell. The power hungry Church would never say such a thing, for it was trying its best to maintain power (power equals money) in this time of crisis. This is a very discriminating tendency the Church has, and if the nobles by way of coin can redeem themselves, then the poor cannot, this will only cause displeasure in the community, which will lead to the Revolution of the Renaissance.
Another aspect that certainly aided the revolution is the banking and the money the citizens possessed. If you were a poor plebeian, you were only allowed to deal in less expensive coins. It was the way it had always been, and it was the way it was always supposed to be. If you were a patrician, you could deal in florens, which were worth far more than any plebe would ever dream of owning. The merchant trade was extremely lucrative, and as the business grew larger and more prosperous, the dissolute merchants soon became more opulent than the nobles. This enraged them, seeing that they could not climb the hierarchal ladder and become a noble, yet they could own more money, wear better clothing, have a better estate, while the nobles themselves were forced to commit usury, a sin itself to maintain even a semblance of wealth. This infuriated the citizens, causing them to revolt. They wanted justice, but they also wanted to be rich. Usury was a major issue as well, concerning the fact that the new society without so much association with the Church might allow such a thing, but the mix with the old society condemned it as a sin. The bankers used usury to keep up their wages, and this was a very good thing for them. It is clear why they would embrace the Revolution.
It is clear now how all the aspects of PERSIA work together to create a Revolution.
What is Humanism? It is the belief that inquiry is more important than rules, that humans should view themselves as individuals, not as a large mass hurtling towards one destination or the other (ultimately Heaven or Hell.) It is the belief that humans should count every day as important, and live as though it were about to end the next, not by means of indulgence, but by looking deeper into the meaning of things.
There are a few similarities and differences between Renaissance Humanism and the Flat World of today and the future. Before this new revolution and way of thinking, people were totally and completely focused on the Church. Will I sin today? Will I be forgiven? Will I be sent to Hell? Constantly worrying about sinning, God, and their Religion, obeying every rule the Church set out for them and not even stopping to think for themselves for a moment. Then, around 1400, came the Humanists. They had a new way of thinking... they were able to outsmart, and outdo the priests. Why? Because they were willing to look beyond things, and not just accept them for the way they are commonly believed to be so. This is similar to what we are seeing today in our economy; in our 'Flat World'. People born thirty years ago are completely blown away by what is happening. To the newest generation, things do not seem too strange; we grew up with computers, with the Internet, with mp3 players and high definition television. We are the Humanists of our society, introducing a new idea, which some may or may not wish to entertain, but eventually it will be accepted globally. What the Flat World is introducing to us, is the idea that anyone with the IQ can gain knowledge, anyone with the knowledge (with just an Internet connection) can go on to do great things. They can be connected with the rest of the globe, and as an individual, work, and achieve, just like anyone else would be able to. This is similar to Humanism, because it is both resting on the point that individuality is a good thing.
Considering this, Humanism and the Flat World can also be contrasted. As written earlier, the people of the Renaissance were extremely connected to their Church. They lived their lives to get to Heaven, and first and foremost considered themselves to be Christians. This is both similar and different to our situation, because our separation is between our Country and our people. To explain further, complete this sentence "I am a(n)..." did you think of your country? In a Flat World, it will not matter what color your skin is, it will not matter what language you speak, it will not matter what country you live in, or what gender you are of. In a Flat World, it is completely about individuals interacting. This is both like and dislike Humanism. It is dislike the Renaissance Humanism because we are separating ourselves from our title of American, yet we need the principle of Humanism to do so.
Humanism, if you think about it is essential to the Flat World. Without it the way our society runs would be completely strict and overpowering. The only knowledge we would learn would be what our parents, and grandparents learned before us, and we would only do what they deemed acceptable for us to do. Without Humanism, our society would not exist.