The religious debates of the sixteenth century often reveal a deep-seated tension between a medieval notion of a fixed social and intellectual order, and the new understanding of a social order based on change as a means of pursuing the good. The medieval worldview was static. Someone was allocated a position within society on the basis of their birth and social tradition. These were not matters that could be changed. By the end of the fifteenth century, however, an ideology of transition was in the process of developing, which held that individuals could determine their social position and status by their own efforts. They were not trapped by their social origins or circumstances, but could better themselves.
Demands for social change began to build up apace around 1500, especially in the cities. The rise of a mercantile class in cities such as Zurich posed a challenge to the power and influence of traditional aristocratic families. In the closing decade of the fifteenth century, the Swiss city of Zurich replaced the old patrician government by a Great Council of some two hundred city fathers, chosen for life by the merchant guilds, and by a Small Council of Fifty, selected by the Great Council and the guilds. A similar pattern emerged in other cities around this time, creating an expectation of change and improvement.