Transition to a Better Life, a Better World

Viewing the world as is was from medieval to modern, there are various factors that conditioned the transition. The first part of knowing the factors of transition is the knowledge of when the transition took the first steps. The Renaissance, which is the improvement of economics and politics between the two time periods. This time came after Rome had fallen and the Black Death had swept the European region. The increase for wealth, land, and importance of political power, shaped the nation-state forever.

The elements that all improved and subsequently placed the nation-state for the future all began with the biological aspect of the Black Death. The Black Death, also known as the bubonic plague, wiped out over one-third of the world’s population. Those who survived the horrendous era became a part of the new era

The country who benefited mostly from this devastation was Spain. A new, well-established political structure and power gave the criminological improvements involved during the Spanish inquisition. The improvements from the inquisition laid the road for Spain to be the top political and economic structure for two-thirds of the population. The way the political aspect of this era played a role in the transition from medieval to modern is due to the involvement of establishing a “proper government” that managed and powered the countries around them. Two very powerful women were powerful political leaders in the western hemisphere and because of those who respected them, they changed the nation-state. When the process began to have a political force, there was also a time for protection and laws that were created. With the law, the necessity for a force to enforce the laws had to become present, thus the Santa Hermandades were established. This created a well-balanced community and implemented the body of law, or a committee that dealt with various operations for the people. The level of responsibility was established between the Church of Rome in a government type structure. As you see it in today’s government, back then there was also a left and a right to help improve Spain and the European countries.

With political establishment as an improvement for Spain, there was also the implementation to pay for the political parties and the countries. This takes the economic advancement from the renaissance and the commercial activities surely displayed the progress for the nation-state. Looking back at history class in high school, I remember that the quest for the rest of the world was a major production of economic progression in the nation-states. Kings and towns would invest many possessions in hopes to search for the land of the lost. They would donate money, slaves, stones, cash crops and much more. This trade of economics mixed with the political powers and began to take taxes from the people, established tax collectors, and paved the way for bureaucracies and other organizations. It came a time that a voyage was sent to sea with Christopher Columbus, who began a trade between the New World and the Old World. However, there was a price that was paid for being greedy and curious. Like the saying goes, “curiosity killed the cat,” but in this case, with the voyage came the most horrendous disease for the New World.

The population in the Old World was known to be in the recovery stages from the Black Death and those who survived built their immunity up to the disease that wiped out a large percentage of the Old World. As Christopher Columbus was preparing for his voyage to the New World, the knowledge of diseases and medicine at that time had not advanced enough to prevent what happened during the trading period of the Old World and New. With the mixture of culture, the immune systems are always going to take over another because the body is not used to these foreign bacteria. Indigenous people were virtually wiped out about 80% of the population of indigenous people.

My reaction to this era can be displayed as both grateful an also angry. Without the change of economic and political establishment from the renaissance era, we may have not been as developed in our criminal justice system and the possibility for being similar to the medieval times would affect everything that has been improved on since those times. I am grateful that we do not execute individuals solely based on accusations without evidence and that we are able to trade with other countries and within our own country to make a living. However, I am angry with the way that some of these advancements came to the “New World” and wiped out almost an entire population. Although, I cannot be that angry due to the lack of knowledge from medicine and disease back in that time.

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