The phrase "an earthshaking cultural shift" suggests a complete transformation of culture in Europe.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phrase "an earthshaking cultural shift" has connotations in enormity in that the change was so massive that it was shattering or like the shifting of the earth.
Renaissance was the period when Europe began to look back to the classics and began a journey of the themes of
-self determination.
-liberalism
-the man's assertion of independence
-the centrality of the man in the world.
These ideas defined the progress that happened in the years of the renaissance.