Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck
Banned
Let's say paper and movable type printing are both invented in Rome at some point between 0 and 100 AD, would they see wideapread use? Would there be an impact on society as a whole/
I think so. It would likely be a VERY long process, however.Would then a mass of disgruntled slaves and plebeians form as more poor people are able to read?
Several of them are still partially or completely unviable due to the technology and conditions at the time. Paper didn't save the Han dynasty. And several of the OTL causes of the fall of Western Rome is still there.This would unlock the following:
- Mass Literacy among the merchant class
- University Education System
- Double Entry Book Keeping
- Newspaper Companies
- Documentation and Publishing of Scientific Studies
In terms of affects this could have:
- Better accounting for the Roman Treasury
- A Imperial Banking System
- Roman Joint Stock Companies
- Quicker spread of Christianity but a possible earlier fracturing of Christianity.
- More unified political movements/proto political parties
- Imperial University System
‘ . . . Andrew Pettegree argues in his book Brand Luther that Martin Luther was not only a great communicator, but the world's first mass-media figure. Luther’s ideas were soon heard in local taverns and bakeries, according to a 2011 article from the Economist, “Social media in the 16th Century: How Luther went viral.”
‘The materials are the tangible evidence of a lively public debate. The original pamphlets could be considered the medieval equivalent of a Twitter war. Through them, we can witness a conversation that continues even to this day. The materials also include the Papal Bull from Pope Leo X to excommunicate Luther from the Roman Catholic Church, King Henry VIII’s Defense of the Seven Sacraments Against Martin Luther, and documents from the resulting counter-reformation.’
Several of them are still partially or completely unviable due to the technology and conditions at the time. Paper didn't save the Han dynasty. And several of the OTL causes of the fall of Western Rome is still there.
If nothing else, 95% of all ancient literature would have been preserved for us, compared to the actual 5%. If only.