How Class System Impacted Print Before the Revolution:How Did the Masses Communicate Before the Print Revolution?

Before the print revolution, ancient societies had to rely on producing each document by hand. It was a tedious skill that only certain members of society could perform. Furthermore, due to the amount of work required to produce each text, books cost a significant amount of money and were reserved for the elite. As a result, only the wealthy and powerful owned books, could read and write, and able to possess the knowledge in contained in the text. So, the rich and powerful organizations, such as the prevalent religions of the day, were able to control the masses by limiting printed information. The lower classes had to communicate with each other through word of mouth, even though their contact with others outside of their class was limited. They were forced to rely on their rulers or religions to inform and educate the overall masses. However, with the invention of movable type, books became more affordable and accessible to all members of society. This invention allowed everyone to communicate to a larger number of people. More ideas, beliefs, and stories could be shared as opposed to just relying on the wealthy for information.