The long-term political, economic, and intellectual consequences of the conflicts over religious beliefs, were, the economic recessions of the early seventeenth century, the shift in power from southern and eastern Europe toward the northwest, new ideas were developed in the arts, politics and philosophy, making way for the scientific revolution, the conflicts also pushed some Europeans to seek new, non-religious sources of authority.
The Thirty Years War, sparked an economic crisis in Europe. Famine and disease also contributed to the suffering. The war caused the economic balance of power to shift. When the war ended in 1648, northwestern Europe had already begun to dominate international trade, which helped build up their economies.