Italy vs Germany/Netherlands

[timelets]

In the 15-16th century, Italy and Germany/Netherlands became major centers of an ideological rivalry between Catholicism vs Protestantism, respectively. The rivalry lead to a propaganda arms race that fueled the demand for the printing technology. ("In 1481, ... the small Netherlands already featured printing shops in 21 cities and towns, while Italy and Germany each had shops in about 40 towns at that time. - wiki).

cf: social networking today - US vs China.