Renaissance
Session 1: Economic, Political, and
Cultural Foundations of the Renaissance

Materials

• A copy of class notes on “Economic and Political Foundations of the Renaissance” (Attachment B) for each student
• Overhead projector (optional)
• Teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other activity

Instructional Activities

1. Put class notes on the board or overhead for “Economic and Political Foundations of the Renaissance” (Attachment B). Discuss the notes, emphasizing the rise and politics of the Italian city-states.
   
   
2. Machiavelli’s The Prince served as a secular treatise on how to be a good ruler. An idea attributed to Machiavelli is “The ends justify the means.”  He frequently discusses ancient leaders as illustrations of what a good ruler should do.
   •    Are his ideas relevant for leaders today?  (Napoleon, Hitler, and Churchill all owned copies of The Prince.)
   •    Does the end justify the means (no matter how bad they are) if the results help the people of a country?
   
   
3. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available teacher resources.