DISCUSSION QUESTION PART ONE THE ART OF POLITICS? PLEASE ANSWER QUESTION & RESPOND TO THE 4 REMARKS FROM OTHERS, COMPLETELY, RELEVANTLY & COMPETENTLY? Did Florence's political and economic culture create the conditions that made it such a hotbed of brilliant art and science, or did the city's strong humanist thinking shape its politics and economy? What made it so much more successful artistically and culturally than, say, Milan, Rome, or Naples? On a more lighthearted note in the end: which of the Italian city states would strike you personally as the best place for the era? What are the positives and negatives of the relatively stable but somewhat tyrannical Milan? Elite-led commercial republic of Venice? Guild and commerce -driven Lucca and Florence? Church-centered Rome? Naples with its landed gentry? PLEASE LABLE AND IDENTIFY ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION? PLEASE ANSWER THE QUESTION COMPLETELY? PLEASE RESPOND TO THE 4 FOLLOWING Remarks OF OTHERS? Please “number” or identify EACH RESPONSE?FLORENTINE LC Florentine LC 1.Affluent Florentines(if am saying this right) became outstanding patrons of art and culture in Italian culture Leon Battista Alberti and others became powerful men who were able to reform architecture and styles of painting which defined the Renaissance period. Even though he was affluent, Leon Alberti was a humanist determined to use his skill to add to the life of ordinary citizens. (Gilmour, 76) The art of politics and the politics of artPG 2.Florence,  with more justification be called an oligarchy. There was also a large class with no political power whatever, the workers, especially those employed by the wool manufacturers. They were not members of any guilds, were forbidden to form guilds of their own, and were the worst sufferers in time of economic depression. They were one of the earliest examples of a modern industrial proletariat. Their discontent might break out from time to time, but they never succeeded in acquiring permanent political status. Art of PoliticsFJ 3.Florence’s strong humanist thinking shaped the politics and economy. Beginning with Petrarch and bringing humanism into light, the ruling elites of Florence wanted to look to the past Roman and Greek styles of literature, art and architecture to make the present better. Florence ended up being the cultural center of the Renaissance due to the banking empire brought in by the Medici family. As banking continued to soar, the elite became richer and needed to invest in something. Why not flaunt your money by giving money to artists to create works for you? Patronizing the arts became such a large part of the Renaissance, and it was because of the large increase in disposable income by the elites that allowed it to happen. This further led to investments in architecture (like Brunelleschi’s Dome and the doors of the Baptistery). Such a large concentration of capital in Florence led many to flock to the city, such as Leonardo da Vinci. Other cities may have had.

1. DISCUSSION QUESTION PART ONE THE ART OF
POLITICS? PLEASE ANSWER QUESTION & RESPOND TO
THE 4 REMARKS FROM OTHERS, COMPLETELY,
RELEVANTLY & COMPETENTLY?
Did Florence's political and economic culture create the
conditions that made it such a hotbed of brilliant art and
science, or did the city's strong humanist thinking shape its
politics and economy? What made it so much more successful
artistically and culturally than, say, Milan, Rome, or Naples?
On a more lighthearted note in the end: which of the Italian city
states would strike you personally as the best place for the era?
What are the positives and negatives of the relatively stable but
somewhat tyrannical Milan? Elite-led commercial republic of
Venice? Guild and commerce -driven Lucca and Florence?
Church-centered Rome? Naples with its landed gentry? PLEASE
LABLE AND IDENTIFY ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION?
PLEASE ANSWER THE QUESTION COMPLETELY?
PLEASE RESPOND TO THE 4 FOLLOWING Remarks OF
OTHERS? Please “number” or identify EACH
RESPONSE?FLORENTINE LC Florentine LC
1.Affluent Florentines(if am saying this right) became
outstanding patrons of art and culture in Italian culture Leon
Battista Alberti and others became powerful men who were able
to reform architecture and styles of painting which defined the
Renaissance period. Even though he was affluent, Leon Alberti
was a humanist determined to use his skill to add to the life of
ordinary citizens. (Gilmour, 76)
The art of politics and the politics of artPG
2.Florence, with more justification be called an oligarchy.
There was also a large class with no political power whatever,
the workers, especially those employed by the wool
manufacturers. They were not members of any guilds, were
forbidden to form guilds of their own, and were the worst

2. sufferers in time of economic depression. They were one of the
earliest examples of a modern industrial proletariat. Their
discontent might break out from time to time, but they never
succeeded in acquiring permanent political status.
Art of PoliticsFJ
3.Florence’s strong humanist thinking shaped the politics and
economy. Beginning with Petrarch and bringing humanism into
light, the ruling elites of Florence wanted to look to the past
Roman and Greek styles of literature, art and architecture to
make the present better. Florence ended up being the cultural
center of the Renaissance due to the banking empire brought in
by the Medici family. As banking continued to soar, the elite
became richer and needed to invest in something. Why not
flaunt your money by giving money to artists to create works
for you? Patronizing the arts became such a large part of the
Renaissance, and it was because of the large increase in
disposable income by the elites that allowed it to happen. This
further led to investments in architecture (like Brunelleschi’s
Dome and the doors of the Baptistery). Such a large
concentration of capital in Florence led many to flock to the
city, such as Leonardo da Vinci. Other cities may have had
some level of capital similar to Florence, but the attraction to
the city for art certainly overshadowed the other cities for a
great while.
Personally, I feel as Venice would have been the best place for
the era (and not just because there is an entire chapter dedicated
to Venice in the Gilmour book). Other republican governments
in Italian city-states had failed in some form or fashion, but the
Venetian government was able to stay relatively strong and
consistent in the Renaissance period. One note that struck me in
the Gilmour reading was that “outsiders noticed that its citizens
were more united than in other places and that they shared a
community spirit … that was absent in Florence or Genoa.” [1]
They had many councils and committees, they had the most
stable aristocracy and had religious and racial tolerance. The

3. downside for Venice was its glamour and it becoming more of a
Mediterranean power and not a peninsular power – their trading
with the Ottomans between wars as well as their political
decisions did lead to their decline.
Lucca and Florence both had large numbers of guilds and were
able to produce works of art and consistent goods, but a
frequent downside was the political situation. The Signori in
Florence, as well as the instability with the Medici rulers (as
well as the instances with changing ideologies around the time
of Savonarola) were certainly a downside, as the power did not
reside with the people in many areas. Rome and the Papal States
may have had the Church, but it was in a state of disarray – the
“ancient centre of the world was a small town with ruins”
before the Renaissance came to them. [2] Milan had a strong
authoritarian government which provided for stability, but the
downside was an “unrealistically radical” leadership. [3] Naples
did end up becoming the largest city in Italy, but it did not have
the cultural influence that other city-states had.
Gilmour, David. The pursuit of Italy: a history of a land, its
regions and their peoples. London: Penguin Books, 2012, loc.
1827. Kindle edition.
4.Florence LC
The Rebublican Florence appeared on the cusps of the
Rennaisance with the contribution of Leon Battista Alberti. His
addition to the art world with the use of perspective in painting
later adopted by renowned artists from the ages we treasure like
Michaelango and Leonardo. This city appeared to embrace
intellectual pursuits in the arts and the sciences with embrace of
secularism. Florence was said to be the center of humanism
1375-1450(Pursuit of Italy, 76-77). This would allow
development of a diverse open society unlike one shrouded in
authoritarianism so often seen under a religious shroud.

4. Units V AND VI
RESPOND Academically, scholarly and professionally, TO
DISCUSSION Politics & art based on and according to text
book (s) Pursuit of Italy by David Gilmore, The Civilization of
the Renaissance in Italy by Jacob Burckhardt, Specifically!
MUST CITE AND USE these books for references?
1st PART ONE Give an answer to original two-part question in
2 - 3 paragraphs
ORIGINAL QUESTION? MUST ANSWER PART A AND
THEN PART B SEPERATELY, as answer part A & answer part
B? Do not throw a lot of words together without defining where
they belong?
A. Did Florence's political and economic culture create the
conditions that made it such a hotbed of brilliant art and
science, or did the city's strong humanist thinking shape its
politics and economy? What made it so much more successful
artistically and culturally than, say, Milan, Rome, or Naples?
B. Which of the Italian city states would strike you personally
as the best place for the era? What are the positives and
negatives of the relatively stable but somewhat tyrannical
Milan? Elite-led commercial republic of Venice? Guild and
commerce -driven Lucca and Florence? Church-centered Rome?
Naples with its landed gentry?
NEXT; PART TWO, RESPOND to FOUR CLASSMATES
DISCUSSION POST BELOW?
1st
Bottom of Form
Top of Form
· Florentine by LC
Affluent Florentines(if am saying this right) became outstanding
patrons of art and culture in Italian culture Leon Battista Alberti

5. and others became powerful men who were able to reform
architecture and styles of painting which defined the
Renaissance period. Even though he was affluent, Leon Alberti
was a humanist determined to use his skill to add to the life of
ordinary citizens. (Gilmour, 76)
2nd
· The art of politics and the politics of artBy PG
Florence, with more justification be called an oligarchy. There
was also a large class with no political power whatever, the
workers, especially those employed by the wool manufacturers.
They were not members of any guilds, were forbidden to form
guilds of their own, and were the worst sufferers in time of
economic depression. They were one of the earliest examples of
a modern industrial proletariat. Their discontent might break out
from time to time, but they never succeeded in acquiring
permanent political status.
3rd
· Art of Politics BY FJ
Florence’s strong humanist thinking shaped the politics and
economy. Beginning with Petrarch and bringing humanism into
light, the ruling elites of Florence wanted to look to the past
Roman and Greek styles of literature, art and architecture to
make the present better. Florence ended up being the cultural
center of the Renaissance due to the banking empire brought in
by the Medici family. As banking continued to soar, the elite
became richer and needed to invest in something. Why not
flaunt your money by giving money to artists to create works
for you? Patronizing the arts became such a large part of the
Renaissance, and it was because of the large increase in
disposable income by the elites that allowed it to happen. This
further led to investments in architecture (like Brunelleschi’s

6. Dome and the doors of the Baptistery). Such a large
concentration of capital in Florence led many to flock to the
city, such as Leonardo da Vinci. Other cities may have had
some level of capital similar to Florence, but the attraction to
the city for art certainly overshadowed the other cities for a
great while.
Personally, I feel as Venice would have been the best place for
the era (and not just because there is an entire chapter dedicated
to Venice in the Gilmour book). Other republican governments
in Italian city-states had failed in some form or fashion, but the
Venetian government was able to stay relatively strong and
consistent in the Renaissance period. One note that struck me in
the Gilmour reading was that “outsiders noticed that its citizens
were more united than in other places and that they shared a
community spirit … that was absent in Florence or Genoa.” [1]
They had many councils and committees, they had the most
stable aristocracy and had religious and racial tolerance. The
downside for Venice was its glamour and it becoming more of a
Mediterranean power and not a peninsular power – their trading
with the Ottomans between wars as well as their political
decisions did lead to their decline.
Lucca and Florence both had large numbers of guilds and were
able to produce works of art and consistent goods, but a
frequent downside was the political situation. The Signori in
Florence, as well as the instability with the Medici rulers (as
well as the instances with changing ideologies around the time
of Savonarola) were certainly a downside, as the power did not
reside with the people in many areas. Rome and the Papal States
may have had the Church, but it was in a state of disarray – the
“ancient centre of the world was a small town with ruins”
before the Renaissance came to them. [2] Milan had a strong
authoritarian government which provided for stability, but the
downside was an “unrealistically radical” leadership. [3] Naples
did end up becoming the largest city in Italy, but it did not have

7. the cultural influence that other city-states had.
[1] Gilmour, David. The pursuit of Italy: a history of a land, its
regions and their peoples. London: Penguin Books, 2012, loc.
1827. Kindle edition.
FOURTH
· Florence BY LC
The Rebublican Florence appeared on the cusps of the
Rennaisance with the contribution of Leon Battista Alberti. His
addition to the art world with the use of perspective in painting
later adopted by renowned artists from the ages we treasure like
Michaelango and Leonardo. This city appeared to embrace
intellectual pursuits in the arts and the sciences with embrace of
secularism. Florence was said to be the center of humanism
1375-1450(Pursuit of Italy, 76-77). This would allow
development of a diverse open society unlike one shrouded in
authoritarianism so often seen under a religious shroud.
less
Bottom of Form