Was the Reformation Successful

Many would agree that the successful reformation in the 16th century marked the start of a newer, fairer society in Europe. This was because the current political, social, and economic issues at the time were not up to acceptable standards, and the reformation served as a relief of those political, social, and economic corruptions. Politically, the reformation’s leaders promised to resolve the governmental crisis that was constantly growing due to the disproportioned power between popes and monarchs. Socially, the problems of that time caused instability, and the minds of the citizens also became unstable and unsure of the future; all because of the corrupted way of governing and demanding religion. Economically, taxes stressed out the citizens of the various kingdoms, and they needed an escape or temporary relief from the enormous burden of taxes. The reformation succeeded considerably, due to these factors, and displayed the power of the people compared to a tyrant force.
The political state that Europe found itself in during the 16th century was not very morally correct, and usually failed to keep the majority pleased. The papacies conflicted with the monarchs, and the monarchs with the nobles. The Catholic Church owned most of the ruling power, and individuality was discouraged. Charles V used a tyrannical, absolute power approach to governing his people, but he made far more foes than friends with this method. Citizens constantly rebelled, and revolutionary reformers arose from those desperate for change. Among these Reformation activists was Martin Luther. His ideas encouraged individualism, and firmly opposed the pope as a man of political power. Luther realized that the Church’s way of governing only added to the downfall of unity, and that the citizens needed a reason to be patriotic and in peace. Citizens desperate for stability found salvation in Luther’s extraordinary promising new way of managing political entities. A corrupted, unsteady tyranny was...