Synopsis
"Your journey begins with a close look at the backgrounds to the modern Western world and an exploration of how Western Europe transitioned from a medieval mindset to the modern path that would take it through the next 600 years. In addition to looking at the critical role played by factors like climate, topography, and natural resources, you chart the six developments that destroyed the old medieval worldview:
*the development of Renaissance Humanism;
*the rise of centrally governed nation-states;
*the discovery of the New World;
*the creation of the printing press;
*the Protestant Reformation and its subsequent religious wars;
*the rational and scientific revolutions." [The Great Courses]