The curiosity and ability to use change as an advantage gave the developing European culture the power to make itself far more advanced than the Chinese. Even though China was long the most advanced culture in the planet, they would not stay that way after the arrival of the Europeans. The primary factor of this was that Confucian scholars believed in tradition and repression new ideas. They also felt that their culture was being destroyed by the influence of the Europeans. Therefore they wanted nothing to do with the Europeans. In contrast the European culture was just coming out of a barbaric period of history and needed change to advance. It was this curiosity and need for change that led Europe to take advantage of Chinese technology and become the most powerful nation on the planet.

             Before the early 1500's the European culture was a predominately Christian. It was also on average politically and socially stable. This changed however in about 1520 when Martin Luther had a conflict with the Catholic church about how one could gain Gods exceptance into Heaven. The Catholics believed that one must do good works and have faith; where Luther believed that faith alone could save man since man was so powerless that he could never do enough good works to repay God. Luther's message appealed to both the lower and middle classes. To the lower class it was a path towards revolution and became a major threat to the Catholic church. Though this was a great aid to the lower class, the middle class was torn between freedom and capitalism. Freedom would lead to a feeling of personal insignificance; while capitalism would leave them without freedom. This eventually, with the aid of Calvinism, lead to a solution for the common man. Calvinist believed that man could have freedom and avoid his feelings of powerlessness by working which would keep ones mind clear. Work would also help man to find out his future eternity by his successes and failures.