ABSTRACT
Equallyirrelevantwerethesocialandpoliticalconvulsions thattookonareligiouscolorationandweremergedintothe earlystagesoftheReformationinGermany,Switzerland,France, andtheNetherlands.Notonlywerethepopularagentsofthese movements-lowernobility,peasants,artisans-essentiallyconservativeorevenreactionaryintheirgoals,butinthecourseof thehistoricalprocessoftheReformationthesepopularelements werestrainedout.Eithertheysignedonasclientsofestablished subordinateorsuperiorauthoritiesortheyweresmashedbythese authorities."Worldhistoryisaworldcourtofjudgment."
