According to the Crash Course World History video that I assigned for you to watch, the presenter, John Green argues that “Italy was primed for the Renaissance for exactly one reason.” What was that reason? Group of answer choices Realism Intellectualism Religion Money 2. In the Crash Course World History video that I assigned, John Green makes the following argument about the Renaissance: Group of answer choices He proclaims that the Renaissance didn’t even happen He supports the view that the Renaissance began with the lower classes rather than the elites. He announces that without the Renaissance the Protestant Reformation would not have happened. He believes that the Renaissance was centered in the Ottoman Empire and not Europe
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
Correct Answers:
- Money
- He proclaims that the Renaissance didn’t even happen
Explanation
In the Crash Course World History video on the Renaissance, John Green presents a critical and humorous take on traditional historical narratives. First, he argues that Italy was primed for the Renaissance for exactly one reason: money. During the late Middle Ages and early modern period, Italian city-states such as Florence, Venice, and Milan became extremely wealthy due to trade, banking, and commerce. This wealth allowed elite families like the Medicis to become patrons of the arts and fund artists, architects, and thinkers. Patronage was a key element in fueling the cultural rebirth that characterized the Renaissance. Without this influx of money, it is unlikely that the flourishing of art, science, and humanism could have occurred at such a scale.
The second key argument John Green makes is that the Renaissance didn’t even happen—at least not in the clear-cut, romanticized way it is often taught. He challenges the idea that there was a sudden, unified rebirth of classical learning and culture across Europe. Instead, he emphasizes that much of the Renaissance was limited to a small elite and that for the majority of people, life in 1500 was not drastically different from life in 1400. The Renaissance was a gradual evolution of ideas and art, not a revolutionary moment experienced by all. Green also points out how the concept of the Renaissance was later emphasized and possibly exaggerated by historians in order to create a neat and uplifting narrative about progress in European history. His argument encourages viewers to think critically about historical periods and to question whose experiences are being highlighted or ignored. By presenting these ideas, Green shifts the focus away from myth and more toward historical nuance.
