38 | Mass Media and Historical Change
some two hundred years even within the Reich. Michael Giesecke, who cer-
tainly postulated extensive effects to a greater extent than other authors of
recent studies, casually points out in his book that the consequences of the
media change were dependent on the wishes and concerns of the environment
(Giesecke 1991: 124). If this statement is taken seriously, printing can be seen
as a type of catalyst which activated a series of unforeseen processes. When
considering Asia as well as the various discrepancies within Europe, one must
conclude that the cultural diversity of the different regions was of great impor-
tance, for this was what the expansion and effects of media depended on.