The Printing Revolution and some Intellectual Movements

In relation to the Scientific Revolution, the increased availability provided by cheaper, more abundant books, effectively increased the scientist’s lifetime by reducing or even eliminating the need to travel across Europe to find rare copies of traditional reference sources. In addition to that, science progressed by new data and theories overcoming the effects of ancient texts.

In relation to the Reformation, the rapid distribution of Martin Luther’s 95 theses across Europe was only possible through the printing press. Both Catholic and Protestants made extensive use from the beginning of mass-produced pamphlets for propaganda purposes. The use of propaganda as a tool for persuasion can be noticed all through history. 

During the II World War, Joseph Goebbels,  a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, said that "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it". The power of propaganda back then and nowadays can't be denied.

In relation to the Renaissance, the printing press transformed its development already in progress by making available copies of ancient sources. Each advancement could be fixed through abundant copies that could be distributed and used as a base for further growth. In other words, the printing press permitted a more efficient classical revival through its power of “typographical fixity”.