Martin Luther is well known throughout many different cultures today. I believe that he is so well known in culture because initially, he was going against the culture of his time period in order to create a new one. Culture is defined in the Webster dictionary as the act of developing intellectual and moral faculties especially by education.  In the 1500's, it was believed that if you gave enough money to the church, God would not punish you for your sins. This dealt with the moral faculties of the time period. Martin Luther sought to progress culture through education, showing people that God could not be bought off with money. He translated the the Bible into a language that a wider majority of people could understand, therefore spreading his knowledge and letting people educate themselves on religion. He is a cultural revolutionary because essentially, Martin Luther created a new culture.

It is also important to note that Martin Luther is a political revolutionary. During the 1520's, when Martin Luther began to oppose Pope Leo X, it was the same as if he was going against a popular political leader of our time period. The church held power over not only the people, but the nobles as well. Basically, the church held power over the government and many government decisions were influenced by the church. When Luther went against the Pope, he was going against the politics of the society, he was opposing one of societies strongest leaders. In my opinion, Martin Luther should be viewed as a political revolutionary, not just a religious revolutionary, because he was so willing to go against those who had much more power than him. He truly was a brave and incredible man.

Martin Luther is very important to German speaking lands for a number of reasons. First of all, he helped to shape the German language through his translation of the Bible from Latin. Secondly, he changed German culture completely by providing them with new information and helping them become more educated about the Bible, and most importantly, he is the essence of what Germany is all about. Germany, like every other country in the world, has become corrupt at certain points throughout history because of political leaders. However, Germany always manages to find its way back through the voices of the people and the help of other leaders emerging. Martin Luther represents that voice in the crowd, the one willing to be strong and stand up to the giant political leaders of the time. He is progress and change, a concept we have seen many times throughout German history. He is the essence of what Germany is all about.