Unit 3: Revolutions and Reaction

Lesson A: Conflict and Progress in the European World

Activity 4: From Word of Mouth to Words on a Page

Following the changes of the Glorious Revolution, ideas about more democratic forms of government became more popular. However, the pace of travel and trade delayed the spread of this information. Ideas spread with merchants and travelers along the trade routes of Africa, Asia, and Europe, and the pace of movement along these routes determined the pace of change.

The following activity will give you a better idea of how information spreads across the world. As a class, discuss what life would be like if the Internet had never been developed. Follow the instructions that follow to guide your discussion.

Classroom Activity - Life Without the Internet

Discussion

Directions: Prepare a response to the discussion question(s) below. Follow your teacher's directions to participate in your class discussion.

• Brainstorm what you think life was like for people before the Internet.
• Brainstorm a list of ways that the Internet has changed the way we live.
• Rank your ideas according to their impact, starting with those with the greatest impact on the world and ending with those with the least impact on the world.
• Discuss the reasons for your rankings, focusing on the impact the Internet has had on the spread of ideas.
• Discuss the positive and negative consequences of this relatively new technology.

Select the link to review the Discussion Scoring Tool (pdf).

 

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The spread of information in present day society as result of the Internet is similar to developments of the early modern period. The innovation pictured below allowed ideas to be reproduced in large amounts and transported across great distances over 500 years ago.

Directions: Examine the image and answer the question that follows.

Printing Press ^[1]

Written Activity - Notebook

In your notebook, respond to the following questions:

• How did the impact of the printing press compare with the impact of the Internet?
• How did the printing press affect the exchange of ideas in Europe during the Enlightenment period?

The printing press allowed the spread of political ideas made popular by the Glorious Revolution. The Enlightenment period expanded ideas that further challenged the power of monarchs. Remember the role of printing press as you learn about the Enlightenment period in the next activity.

Page Notes:

^[1] Source: This image from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albion_Press,_1830s_woodcut_by_George_Baxter.jpg is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.