The spread of Protestantism was based on the common people. In emphasizing the authority of the " Bible " and the principle that everyone is a priest, what is revealed is the concern of the Protestant leaders for a group of believers who cannot understand or understand the official propaganda strategy of the Holy See. The reason why they were able to attract countless followers of Protestantism largely relied on advanced propaganda strategies.
1. The historical background of the Protestant Reformation
At the beginning of the 16th century, in the mighty Protestant movement, there was an upsurge of Western European citizens who originally believed in Catholicism to convert to Protestantism. But no one seems to have ever raised the question. Corruption in the Catholic Church has existed on and off since the 12th century, but why did anti-Catholic activities not appear until then? What ability did Luther and other church leaders rely on to attract so many followers? This is closely related to the social background of the time and the special methods of Protestant dissemination, and both are indispensable.
First of all, the reason for the Reformation was that the German people at that time were deeply disgusted with the control and corruption of the Catholic Church. Throughout the Middle Ages, many feudal leaders who were religious lords emerged in Germany . They often advocated for the interests of the Holy See in the Imperial Parliament. The cooperation between the Holy See and the Holy Roman Empire came at the expense of exploiting local people. Although the German king was able to enjoy the title of "European Emperor", the church also siphoned off most of the local tax revenue, which also caused the southern German region to The gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider and wider, and the people are living in dire straits.
Poor and distressed German serfs
Secondly, since the 14th century, in order to raise funds, the church began to invent the method of selling " indulgences". Some priests who are tempted by profits openly sell to believers, claiming that those who buy indulgences can exchange money for "peace of mind." The priests are willing to pray for those who buy the coupons, so the coupons gain favor in the market. However, this method of deception, which clearly contradicted the content of the Bible, quickly aroused resistance from the people. Some religious leaders after Hu Si began to think about what made some profit-minded priests so rampant? These realistic considerations ultimately drove Luther's revolution.
The peasant woman seeking to buy indulgences
Luther was first a Christian and a theologian, and secondly a religious reformer. What he was resisting was not Christianity itself, but the corrupt church that was full of evil. Data show that the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages did not implement an education policy to educate the common people, and the educational methods they adopted were "elite". In other words, priests who study the Bible and classical knowledge in monasteries are a minority in society. They are out of touch with society after entering the monastery and cannot truly understand the needs of the people.
The group of clergy that Luther hated were exactly the kind of "old antiques" who were already enlightened but unwilling to educate the people. The people were increasingly deceived, and over time they became accustomed to this kind of life. The impact of Luther's reforms originated from this. Many scholars have paid attention to the contemporary reasons for Luther’s reforms, but have not paid attention to the “propaganda strategy” that was the key factor in his achievements. If Luther still used Latin and shouted empty slogans in front of the confused people, he probably would not win the hearts of the people. Therefore, Luther's propaganda strategy can be seen as a major factor in the success of the Reformation.
Luther held a doctrinal debate with the bishop
2. Luther’s advanced publicity strategy
“If you want to publicize well, investigation is indispensable.” Luther knew that if he wanted to win the hearts and minds of the people, he had to investigate public complaints first. The most miserable farmers in Germany at that time were the " patriarchal serfs" and "landless peasants" controlled by feudal forces. At that time, Europe had already ended the shackles of serfdom in the 13th century. The merchant class in Italy, France, Britain and other countries gradually became the dominant force in society. Like Germany, they still tied farmers to the land and enslaved them with rigid creeds. Their physical and mental state is rare.
In addition to poor rural areas, the situation in some small and medium-sized cities is not much better.In Germany in 1500, except for the 66 free cities directly under the empire that were developing relatively well, the economic conditions of other cities could be described as miserable. In some communities in small and medium-sized cities, you can see homeless farmers fleeing from all over the place. The living conditions of some small workers suppressed by the guilds are not even much better than them. As a result, the accumulated dissatisfaction of the people is deepening day by day. It was they who became the targets of Luther's Reformation.
Faced with Luther's reforms, the Catholic priests were at a loss and very angry.
Indeed, the poor were naturally disgusted with the Catholic Church because of their poverty. However, the landowners and nobles who were also defrauded of their money by the church were unwilling to fully express their anger because of some etiquette entanglements. Therefore, the people Luther targeted in the early days of the reform were precisely these poor people whose lives were unsustainable. Considering that ordinary people did not understand Latin , Luther deliberately printed eye-catching German characters on the pamphlet when producing it. These pamphlets mainly include leaflets, woodcut prints and simple bibliographies. Among them, the main propaganda function is a small leaflet called "It's Time to Start Thinking", which has Luther's own face and various slogans printed on it.
This kind of pamphlet is rich in pictures and texts, which is very different from the boring and rigid Catholic brochures. From the perspective of news analysis, Luther firmly grasped the aesthetic preferences of the audience. He used the "prophecies" and picture satire that farmers loved to see to criticize the Catholic Church, which played a role in enlightening people's wisdom and getting closer to the people. Instead, the Catholic Church responded to Luther's prints by reprimanding the peasants who received the pamphlets, forcing them to tear or burn the prints. This further increased the antagonism between the church and the peasants.
Lutheran prints filled villages and castles
Those theoretical pamphlets without pictures and printed only in German were printed in smaller quantities than pure picture books. Because these works that are highly theoretical and written with indignation and passion are often presented to small lords or local nobles with a little education in various places. In the pamphlet, Luther withdrew the comical allegorical style and instead warned the lords in a serious tone, "Don't blame the peasants, because they just want to find their pure faith." Moreover, Luther was not a man of empty talk. , his famous "Ninety-five Theses of " was also widely circulated among the nobles. This conclusive criticism once made the Holy See dare not respond directly, and could only unilaterally blackmail Luther into withdrawing his judgment. From this we can see that the Holy See should acquiesce to its own problems.
In addition, the Catholic Church also innovated its own propaganda methods and began to imitate Luther and others in producing propaganda pamphlets. However, the Catholic Church’s counter-propaganda strategy is obviously inferior. Not only does its manual lack innovation in content, but it also has few advantages in quantity and quality. Judging from the number of publications from 1518 to 1525, there were more than 2,000 published manuals in different numbers in the Protestant propaganda camp, while the Catholic Church’s pamphlets were officially formulated, and only more than 100 pamphlets were published in total. Repeated printing is obviously not favored by the public.
From the gentry to the common people, everyone is discussing Luther's pamphlet
The Master of Literature and History
However, in the face of the prairie fire ignited by Lutherans, the Holy See is still unwilling to put down its dignity, and still adopts the obscure and difficult method. It is difficult to publish printed materials in Latin that everyone understands, and it is difficult for readers to resonate with such grammatically awkward publications. By 1520, when the Protestant propaganda had achieved astonishing results, the Holy See and the German Counter-Reformation princes were very frightened, and constantly urged lords everywhere to strengthen their control over cities and manors, demanding that "if Luther heretics are discovered, they will be detained in court pending trial." , many abandoned ancient manor courts once housed countless believers who had the courage to resist the tyranny of the church. In times of crisis, the vast manpower accumulated by Lutherans can still continue to provide care for believers. On the other hand, the Holy See has been using stupid propaganda methods and high-pressure policies to lose the hearts of the people. No wonder the Reformation went so smoothly. Luther's propaganda strategy obviously worked.
References
Zhu Xiaoyuan: "Religious Reform and Germany's Road to Modernization", People's Publishing House, 2011 edition.
Zhou Shiting: "The Strategies and Functions of Lutheran Propaganda", "Historical Monthly" Issue 3, 2012.
(Author: Haoran Literature and History · Porcelain Country Garbage Heap)
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