“Which one driving force do you think was the most crucial in creating the Renaissance's explosion of ideas? Why?”
I believe that the greatest driving force during the renaissance was rivalry. Rivalry was the greatest driving force, because it motivated the richest families of Italy to patronize artists to create unique things to brag about with other Italian city-states. Also, by patronizing those artists, ancient knowledge was re-discovered and the economy improved making each and every city-state flourish.
