German Peasant Rebellions Dbq

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There were three main causes to the German peasant revolts of 1524-1526, which were the practice of serfdom, class conflict, and Luther’s Reformation. The revolts were one of the first real modern European class conflicts that would shape the continent today. What makes a serf different from a peasant is that a serf is tied to the land for the rest of his life. In exchange for working the land they were given protection, “justice”, and the right to take a certain amount of what they have worked on to survive on their own. The serfs were the most passionate and most determined to get what they thought they deserved, which was freedom. Nobles and upper-class saw them as rabid dogs destroying towns and burning down estates. The Nobles thought …show more content…
Document 1 also says that their main stance on why peasants should have more freedom and authority is because of Lutheran teachings. Document 1 then claims that peasants have been blinded and need guidance. This shows the glaring difference between the two classes of people, peasants and nobles/royalty. Nobles and princes see the peasants as inferior beings and are just mad about nothing. Caspar Nutzel says this almost directly in Document 9. He wishes to go back to peace and the way it was. He claims that the peasants are being the un-Christian ones in the act. At first, the nobles didn’t think much of the peasant revolt because they were burning down churches instead of the fields. Document 11 states that, as the peasants got drunk they began to raid the noble’s estates. Obviously, this isn’t exactly true. The peasants saw the nobles as the main reason for their oppression and they were …show more content…
Document 2 says that the peasants should “help lords when it is necessary and proper when it does not disadvantage the peasant and for a suitable compensation.” This is mainly directed to Lords who have, in the past, massive amounts of work on their peasants, while the just sit in their mansion lounging around. Lords should not force peasants to do things extra without compensation. Thomas Muntzer was one of the people that encouraged violence. Pastor Johann Herolt describes the violence in Document 5. This creates a sort of hypocrisy because if he is a pastor then he is more than likely Lutheran, but isn’t the basis of the revolt because of Lutheran teachings. It makes me wonder if there was a real reason for the revolt or just a boiling over of anger. In Document 6, Thomas Muntzer states, “cast down their towers to the ground,” which adds fuel to the fire to an already bad situation. Document 8 states that the peasants are mad because they want more compensation and believe the wealth should be more spread around for the masses. This has some glaring Karl Marx undertones and was one of his inspirations for the The Communist
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