To what extent was martin Luther responsible for the protestant reformation in Germany?

To what extent was Martin Luther responsible for the 'revolutionary' Protestant reformation in Germany? In this essay, I will attempt to assess the extent of Martin Luther's role in the Protestant reformation that took place at the beginning of the sixteenth century in Germany. Luther's name is synonymous with the religious Reformation of the sixteenth century, or the 'evangelical movement' as it is sometimes called, but the actual details of the Reformation itself are somewhat …

…the celebration of the Lord' Supper, conducted in the vernacular by a priest in a black gown. Many of these changes and alterations transcended the Lutheran religion and came to be adopted by the Roman Catholics and Orthodox religions. The Reformation largely succeeded in forcing the Catholic Church to abandon their dated, mercenary ways, and to reform. Undoubtedly, Luther was to some extent responsible for the revolutionary Reformation, but many other factors dictated it's direction.