Traditional society: definition. Features of traditional society
Society is a complex natural-historical structure, the elements of which are people. Their connections and relationships are determined by a certain social status, the functions and roles they perform, the norms and values generally accepted in a given system, as well as their individual qualities. Society is usually divided into three types: traditional, industrial and post-industrial. Each of them has its own distinctive features and functions.
This article will look at traditional society (definition, characteristics, basics, examples, etc.).
What it is?
A modern industrialist, new to history and social science, may not understand what a “traditional society” is. We will consider the definition of this concept further.
Operates on the basis of traditional values. It is often perceived as tribal, primitive and backward feudal. It is a society with an agrarian structure, with sedentary structures and with methods of social and cultural regulation based on traditions. It is believed that for most of its history, humanity was at this stage.
Traditional society, the definition of which is discussed in this article, is a collection of groups of people at different stages of development and without a mature industrial complex. The determining factor in the development of such social units is agriculture.
Characteristics of a traditional society
A traditional society is characterized by the following features:
1. Low production rates, satisfying people's needs at a minimum level.
2. High energy intensity.
3. Failure to accept innovations.
4. Strict regulation and control of the behavior of people, social structures, institutions, and customs.
5. As a rule, in a traditional society any manifestation of personal freedom is prohibited.
6. Social formations, sanctified by traditions, are considered unshakable - even the thought of their possible changes is perceived as criminal.
Traditional society is considered agrarian, as it is based on agriculture. Its functioning depends on the cultivation of crops using a plow and draft animals. Thus, the same piece of land could be cultivated several times, resulting in permanent settlements.
Traditional society is also characterized by the predominant use of manual labor and the extensive absence of market forms of trade (the predominance of exchange and redistribution). This led to the enrichment of individuals or classes.
The forms of ownership in such structures are, as a rule, collective. Any manifestations of individualism are not accepted and rejected by society, and are also considered dangerous, as they violate the established order and traditional balance. There is no impetus for the development of science and culture, so extensive technologies are used in all areas.
Political structure
The political sphere in such a society is characterized by authoritarian power, which is inherited. This is explained by the fact that only in this way can traditions be maintained for a long time. The management system in such a society was quite primitive (hereditary power was in the hands of the elders). The people actually had no influence on politics.
Often there is an idea about the divine origin of the person in whose hands the power was. In this regard, politics is actually completely subordinated to religion and is carried out only according to sacred instructions. The combination of secular and spiritual power made possible the increasing subordination of people to the state. This, in turn, strengthened the stability of a traditional type of society.
Social relations
In the sphere of social relations, the following features of traditional society can be distinguished:
1. Patriarchal structure.
2. The main purpose of the functioning of such a society is to maintain human life and avoid its extinction as a species.
3. Low level
4. Traditional society is characterized by division into classes. Each of them played a different social role.
5. Personality assessment in terms of the place that people occupy in the hierarchical structure.
6. A person does not feel like an individual; he considers only his belonging to a certain group or community.
Spiritual realm
In the spiritual sphere, traditional society is characterized by deep religiosity and moral principles instilled from childhood. Certain rituals and dogmas were an integral part of human life. Writing as such did not exist in traditional society. That is why all legends and traditions were transmitted orally.
Relationships with nature and the environment
The influence of traditional society on nature was primitive and insignificant. This was explained by low-waste production represented by cattle breeding and agriculture. Also, in some societies there were certain religious rules condemning the pollution of nature.
It was closed in relation to the outside world. Traditional society did its best to protect itself from outside invasions and any external influence. As a result, man perceived life as static and unchanging. Qualitative changes in such societies occurred very slowly, and revolutionary changes were perceived extremely painfully.
Traditional and industrial society: differences
Industrial society arose in the 18th century, primarily in England and France.
Some of its distinctive features should be highlighted.
1. Creation of large machine production.
2. Standardization of parts and assemblies of various mechanisms. This made mass production possible.
3. Another important distinguishing feature is urbanization (the growth of cities and the resettlement of a significant part of the population on their territory).
4. Division of labor and its specialization.
Traditional and industrial societies have significant differences. The first is characterized by a natural division of labor. Traditional values and patriarchal structure prevail here, and there is no mass production.
Post-industrial society should also be highlighted. Traditional, in contrast, aims to extract natural resources, rather than collect information and store it.
Examples of Traditional Society: China
Vivid examples of a traditional type of society can be found in the East in the Middle Ages and modern times. Among them, India, China, Japan, and the Ottoman Empire should be highlighted.
Since ancient times, China has been distinguished by strong state power. By the nature of evolution, this society is cyclical. China is characterized by a constant alternation of several eras (development, crisis, social explosion). It should also be noted the unity of spiritual and religious authorities in this country. According to tradition, the emperor received the so-called “Mandate of Heaven” - divine permission to rule.
Japan
The development of Japan in the Middle Ages also suggests that there was a traditional society here, the definition of which is discussed in this article. The entire population of the Land of the Rising Sun was divided into 4 estates. The first is the samurai, daimyo and shogun (personified the highest secular power). They occupied a privileged position and had the right to bear arms. The second estate were peasants who owned land as a hereditary holding. The third is artisans and the fourth is merchants. It should be noted that trade in Japan was considered an unworthy activity. It is also worth highlighting the strict regulation of each class.
Unlike other traditional eastern countries, in Japan there was no unity of supreme secular and spiritual authority. The first was personified by the shogun. In his hands was most of the lands and enormous power. There was also an emperor (tenno) in Japan. He was the personification of spiritual power.
India
Vivid examples of a traditional type of society can be found in India throughout the country's history. The Mughal Empire, located on the Hindustan Peninsula, was based on a military fief and caste system. The supreme ruler - the padishah - was the main owner of all the land in the state. Indian society was strictly divided into castes, whose lives were strictly regulated by laws and sacred regulations.
Traditional
 |
Industrial
 |
Post-industrial
 |
| 1.ECONOMY. | ||
| Subsistence farming | The basis is industry, in agriculture - increasing labor productivity. Destruction of natural dependence. | The basis of production is information. The service sector comes to the fore. |
| Primitive crafts | Machinery | Computer techologies |
| The predominance of collective forms of ownership. Protection of property of only the upper class of society. Traditional economics. | The basis of the economy is state and private property, a market economy. | Availability of different forms of ownership. Mixed economy. |
| The production of goods is limited to a certain type, the list is limited. | Standardization is uniformity in the production and consumption of goods and services. | Individualization of production, up to exclusiveness. |
| Extensive economy | Intensive economy | Increasing the share of small-scale production. |
| Hand tools | Machine technology, conveyor production, automation, mass production | The economic sector associated with the production of knowledge, processing and dissemination of information has been developed. |
| Dependence on natural and climatic conditions | Independence from natural and climatic conditions | Cooperation with nature, resource-saving, environmentally friendly technologies. |
| Slow introduction of innovations into the economy. | Scientific and technical progress. | Modernization of the economy. |
| The standard of living of the majority of the population is low. | Growing income of the population. Mercantilism consciousness. | High level and quality of life of people. |
| 2. SOCIAL SPHERE. | ||
| Dependence of position on social status. The main units of society are family, community | The emergence of new classes - the bourgeoisie and the industrial proletariat. Urbanization. | Erasing class differences. Increasing share of the middle class. The share of the population engaged in processing and disseminating information over the labor force in agriculture and industry is increasing significantly |
| Stability of the social structure, stable boundaries between social communities, adherence to a strict social hierarchy. Estate. | The mobility of the social structure is great, the possibilities of social movement are not limited. The emergence of classes. | Eliminating social polarization. Blurring class differences. |
| 3. POLITICS. | ||
| Dominance of the Church and the Army | The role of the state is increasing. | Political pluralism |
| Power is hereditary, the source of power is the will of God. | The dominance of law and law (though, more often on paper) Equality before the law. Individual rights and freedoms are legally established. The main regulator of relations is the rule of law. | Civil society. Relations between the individual and society are built on the principle of mutual responsibility. |
| Monarchical forms of government, no political freedoms, power above the law, absorption of the individual by the collective, despotic state The state subjugates society, society is outside the state and its control does not exist. | Granting political freedoms, the republican form of government prevails. A person is an active subject of politics. Democratic transformations | Law, right - not on paper, but in practice. Democracy. Consensus democracy. Political pluralism. |
| 4. SPIRITUAL SPHERE. | ||
| Norms, customs, beliefs. | Continuing education. | |
| Providentialism consciousness, fanatical attitude towards religion. | Secularization consciousness. The emergence of atheists. | Freedom of conscience and religion. |
| Individualism and individual identity were not encouraged; collective consciousness prevailed over the individual. | Individualism, rationalism, utilitarianism of consciousness. | The desire to prove oneself, to achieve success in life. |
| There are few educated people, the role of science is not great. The education is elite. | The role of knowledge and education is great. Mainly secondary education. | The role of science, education, and the information age is great. Higher education. A global telecommunications network—the Internet—is being formed. |
| The predominance of oral information over written information. | The dominance of mass culture. | Availability of different types of culture |
| TARGET. | ||
| Adaptation to nature. | Liberation of man from direct dependence on nature, partial subordination of it to himself. The emergence of environmental problems. | Anthropogenic civilization, i.e. in the center is a person, his individuality, interests. solving environmental problems. |
conclusions
Types of society.
Traditional society- a type of society based on subsistence agriculture, a monarchical system of government and the predominance of religious values and worldview.
Industrial society- a type of society based on the development of industry, a market economy, the introduction of scientific achievements in the economy, the emergence of a democratic form of government, a high level of knowledge development, scientific and technological progress, and the secularization of consciousness.
Post-industrial society– a modern type of society based on the dominance of information (computer technology) in production, development of the service sector, continuous education, freedom of conscience, consensus democracy, and the formation of civil society.
TYPES OF SOCIETY
1.By degree of openness:
— closed society – characterized by a static social structure, limited mobility, traditionalism, very slow introduction of innovations or their absence, and authoritarian ideology.
—open society – characterized by a dynamic social structure, high social mobility, the ability to innovate, pluralism, and the absence of state ideology.
- By availability of writing:
— preliterate
—written (knowing the alphabet or symbolic writing)
3.According to the degree of social differentiation (or stratification):
— simple — pre-state formations, there are no managers and subordinates)
— complex – several levels of management, layers of the population.
Explanation of terms
| Terms, concepts | Definitions |
| individualism of consciousness | a person’s desire for self-realization, manifestation of his personality, self-development. |
| mercantilism | the goal is to accumulate wealth, achieve material well-being, money issues come first. |
| providentialism | a fanatical attitude towards religion, complete subordination to it of the life of both an individual and the entire society, a religious worldview. |
| rationalism | the predominance of reason in human actions and actions, rather than emotions, an approach to resolving issues from the point of view of reasonableness - unreasonableness. |
| secularization | the process of liberating all spheres of public life, as well as the consciousness of people, from the control and influence of religion |
| urbanization | growth of cities and urban populations |
Material prepared by: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna
25. Main types of societies: traditional, industrial, post-industrial. Formational and civilizational approaches to the development of society.
The most stable typology in modern sociology is considered to be one based on the distinction of traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies.
Traditional society (also called simple and agrarian) is a society with an agricultural structure, sedentary structures and a method of sociocultural regulation based on traditions (traditional society). The behavior of individuals in it is strictly controlled, regulated by customs and norms of traditional behavior, established social institutions, among which the most important will be the family and community. Attempts at any social transformations and innovations are rejected. It is characterized by low rates of development and production. Important for this type of society is well-established social solidarity, which was established by Durkheim while studying the society of the Australian aborigines.
Traditional society is characterized by the natural division and specialization of labor (mainly by gender and age), personalization of interpersonal communication (directly of individuals, and not officials or persons of status), informal regulation of interactions (norms of unwritten laws of religion and morality), connection of members by kinship relations (family type of organization community), a primitive system of community management (hereditary power, rule of elders).
Modern societies are distinguished by the following features: the role-based nature of interaction (people's expectations and behavior are determined by the social status and social functions of individuals); developing deep division of labor (on a professional qualification basis related to education and work experience); a formal system for regulating relations (based on written law: laws, regulations, contracts, etc.); a complex system of social management (separation of the institute of management, special government bodies: political, economic, territorial and self-government); secularization of religion (its separation from the system of government); highlighting a variety of social institutions (self-reproducing systems of special relations that allow for social control, inequality, protection of their members, distribution of goods, production, communication).
These include industrial and post-industrial societies.
Industrial society is a type of organization of social life that combines the freedom and interests of the individual with general principles governing their joint activities. It is characterized by flexibility of social structures, social mobility, and a developed system of communications.
In the 1960s concepts of a post-industrial (information) society appear (D. Bell, A. Touraine, J. Habermas), caused by dramatic changes in the economy and culture of the most developed countries. The leading role in society is recognized as the role of knowledge and information, computer and automatic devices. An individual who has received the necessary education and has access to the latest information has an advantageous chance of moving up the social hierarchy. The main goal of a person in society becomes creative work.
The negative side of post-industrial society is the danger of strengthening social control on the part of the state, the ruling elite through access to information and electronic media and communication over people and society as a whole.
The life world of human society is increasingly subject to the logic of efficiency and instrumentalism. Culture, including traditional values, is being destroyed under the influence of administrative control, which tends to standardize and unify social relations and social behavior. Society is increasingly subject to the logic of economic life and bureaucratic thinking.
Distinctive features of post-industrial society:
transition from the production of goods to an economy of services;
the rise and dominance of highly educated technical vocational specialists;
the main role of theoretical knowledge as a source of discoveries and political decisions in society;
control over technology and the ability to assess the consequences of scientific and technical innovations;
decision-making based on the creation of intellectual technology, as well as using the so-called information technology.
The latter is brought to life by the needs of the information society that has begun to take shape. The emergence of such a phenomenon is by no means accidental. The basis of social dynamics in the information society is not traditional material resources, which are also largely exhausted, but information (intellectual) ones: knowledge, scientific, organizational factors, intellectual abilities of people, their initiative, creativity.
The concept of post-industrialism today has been developed in detail, has a lot of supporters and an ever-increasing number of opponents. Two main directions for assessing the future development of human society have emerged in the world: eco-pessimism and techno-optimism. Ecopessimism predicts a total global catastrophe in 2030 due to increasing environmental pollution; destruction of the Earth's biosphere. Techno-optimism paints a more rosy picture, suggesting that scientific and technological progress will cope with all the difficulties in the development of society.
typology society post-industrial
This stage is also commonly called traditional or agrarian. Extractive types of economic activity predominate here - farming, fishing, mining. The vast majority of the population (approximately 90%) is employed in agriculture. The main task of an agrarian society was to produce food to simply feed the population. This is the longest of the three stages, and its history goes back thousands of years. Nowadays, most countries in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia are still at this stage of development. In pre-industrial society, the main producer is not man, but nature. This stage is also characterized by strictly authoritarian power and land ownership as the basis of the economy.
Industrial society
In an industrial society, all efforts are directed toward industrial production in order to produce the goods society needs. The industrial revolution has borne fruit - now the main task of the agricultural and industrial society, which is simply to feed the population and provide them with basic means of subsistence, has faded into the background. Only 5-10% of the population engaged in agriculture produced enough food to feed the entire society.
Post-industrial society
The transition to a new type of society - post-industrial - occurs in the last third of the 20th century. Society is already provided with food and goods, and various services, mainly related to the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge, come to the fore. And as a result of the scientific and technological revolution, science was transformed into a direct productive force, which became the main factor in both the development of society and its self-preservation.
At the same time, a person has more free time, and, consequently, opportunities for creativity and self-realization. At this time, technical developments are becoming more and more knowledge-intensive, and theoretical knowledge becomes of greatest importance. The dissemination of this knowledge is ensured by a highly developed communication network.
Social development can be reformist or revolutionary in nature. Reform (from French reforme, Latin reformare - to transform). Revolution (from Latin revolutio - turn, revolution). Social development: - this is any degree of improvement in any area of public life, carried out simultaneously, through a series of gradual transformations that do not affect the fundamental principles (systems, phenomena, structures); - this is a radical, qualitative change in all or most aspects of social life, affecting the foundations of the existing social system.
Types: 1) Progressive (for example, reforms of the 60-70s of the 19th century in Russia - the Great Reforms of Alexander II); 2) Regressive (reactionary) (for example, reforms of the second half of the 80s - early 90s of the 19th century in Russia - “Counter-reforms” of Alexander III); 3) Short-term (for example, the February Revolution of 1917 in Russia); 4) Long-term (for example, the Neolithic revolution - 3 thousand years; the industrial revolution of the 18th-19th centuries). Reforms can take place in all spheres of public life: - economic reforms - transformation of the economic mechanism: forms, methods, levers and organization of economic management of the country (privatization, bankruptcy law, antimonopoly laws, etc.); - social reforms - transformations, changes, reorganization of any aspects of social life that do not destroy the foundations of the social system (these reforms are directly related to people); -- political reforms -- changes in the political sphere of public life (changes in the constitution, electoral system, expansion of civil rights, etc.). The degree of reformist transformations can be very significant, up to changes in the social system or the type of economic system: the reforms of Peter I" reforms in Russia in the early 90s. XX century In modern conditions, two paths of social development - reform and revolution - are opposed to the practice of permanent reform in a self-regulating society. It should be recognized that both reform and revolution “treat” an already advanced disease, while constant and possibly early prevention is necessary. Therefore, in modern social science, the emphasis is shifted from the “reform - revolution” dilemma to “reform - innovation”.
Innovation (from the English innovation - innovation, novelty, innovation) is understood as an ordinary, one-time improvement associated with an increase in the adaptive capabilities of a social organism in given conditions. In modern sociology, social development is associated with the process of modernization. Modernization (from the French moderniser - modern) is the process of transition from a traditional, agrarian society to modern, industrial societies.
Classical theories of modernization described the so-called “primary” modernization, which historically coincided with the development of Western capitalism. Later theories of modernization characterize it through the concepts of “secondary” or “catch-up” modernization. It is carried out under the conditions of the existence of a “model”, for example in the form of the Western European liberal model; often such modernization is understood as Westernization, that is, a process of direct borrowing or imposition.
In essence, this modernization is a worldwide process of replacing local, indigenous types of cultures and social organization with “universal” (Western) forms of modernity.
Several classifications (typologies) of society can be distinguished:
- 1) pre-written and written;
- 2) simple and complex (the criterion in this typology is the number of levels of management of society, as well as the degree of its differentiation: in simple societies there are no leaders and subordinates, rich and poor; in complex societies there are several levels of management and several social strata of the population located from top to bottom as income decreases);
- 3) primitive society, slave society, feudal society, capitalist society, communist society (the criterion in this typology is a formational feature);
- 4) developed, developing, backward (the criterion in this typology is the level of development);
- 5) compare the following types of society (traditional (pre-industrial) - a, industrial - b, post-industrial (informational) - c) along the following lines of comparison: - the main factor of production - a) land; b) capital; c) knowledge; - the main product of production is a) food; b) industrial products; c) services; - characteristic features of production - a) manual labor; b) widespread use of mechanisms and technologies; c) automation of production, computerization of society; - nature of work - a) individual work; b) predominant standard activities; c) a sharp increase in creativity in work; - employment of the population - a) agriculture - about 75%; b) agriculture - about 10%, industry - 85%; c) agriculture - up to 3%, industry - about 33%, services - about 66%; - main type of export - a) raw materials; b) production products; c) services; - social structure - a) estates, classes, inclusion of everyone in a team, closed social structures, low social mobility; b) class division, simplification of social structure, mobility and openness of social structures; c) preservation of social differentiation, growth in the size of the middle class, professional differentiation depending on the level of knowledge and qualifications; - life expectancy - a) 40-50 years; b) over 70 years old; c) over 70 years old; - human impact on nature - a) local, uncontrolled; b) global, uncontrolled; c) global, controlled; - interaction with other countries - a) insignificant; b) close relationship; c) openness of society; - political life - a) the predominance of monarchical forms of government; there are no political freedoms; power is above the law, it does not require justification; a combination of self-governing communities and traditional empires; b) proclamation of political freedoms, equality before the law, democratic transformations; power is not taken for granted; it is required to justify the right to leadership; c) political pluralism, strong civil society; the emergence of a new form of democracy - “democracy of consensus”; - spiritual life - a) traditional religious values dominate; homogeneous nature of culture; oral transmission of information predominates; a small number of educated people; fight against illiteracy; b) new values of progress, personal success, and faith in science are affirmed; mass culture emerges and takes a leading position; training of specialists; c) the special role of science and education; development of individualized consciousness; continuing education. Formational and civilizational approaches to the study of society The most common approaches to the analysis of social development in Russian historical and philosophical science are formational and civilizational.
The first of them belongs to the Marxist school of social science, the founders of which were German economists, sociologists and philosophers K. Marx (1818-1883) and F. Engels (1820-1895). The key concept of this school of social science is the category “socio-economic formation”.
It has been proven that society is continuously evolving. The development of society can proceed in two directions and take three specific forms.
Directions for the development of society
It is customary to distinguish between social progress (the tendency of development from a lower level of the material state of society and the spiritual evolution of the individual to a higher one) and regression (the opposite of progress: the transition from a more developed state to a less developed one).
If you demonstrate the development of society graphically, you will get a broken line (where ups and downs will be displayed, for example, the period of fascism - the stage of social regression).
Society is a complex and multifaceted mechanism, and therefore progress can be traced in one area, while regression in another.
So, if we turn to historical facts, we can clearly see technical progress (the transition from primitive tools to the most complex CNC machines, from pack animals to trains, cars, airplanes, etc.). However, the other side of the coin (regression) is the destruction of natural resources, undermining the natural human habitat, etc.
Criteria for social progress
There are six of them:
- affirmation of democracy;
- growth in the well-being of the population and its social security;
- improving interpersonal relationships;
- growth of spirituality and ethical component of society;
- weakening of interpersonal confrontation;
- the measure of freedom provided to an individual by society (the degree of individual freedom guaranteed by society).
Forms of social development
The most common is evolution (smooth, gradual changes in the life of society that occur naturally). Features of its character: gradualism, continuity, ascension (for example, scientific and technical evolution).
The second form of social development is revolution (rapid, profound changes; a radical revolution in social life). The nature of revolutionary changes has radical and fundamental features.
Revolutions can be:
- short-term or long-term;
- within one or more states;
- within one or more areas.
If these changes affect all existing public spheres (politics, everyday life, economics, culture, social organization), then the revolution is called social. This kind of change causes strong emotionality and mass activity of the entire population (for example, such Russian revolutions as the October and February revolutions).
The third form of social development is reform (a set of measures aimed at transforming specific aspects of social life, for example, economic reform or reform in the field of education).
Systematic model of typologies of social development by D. Bell
This American sociologist distinguished world history into stages (types) regarding the development of society:
- industrial;
- post-industrial.
The transition from one stage to another is accompanied by a change in technology, form of ownership, political regime, lifestyle, social structure of society, method of production, social institutions, culture, population.
Pre-industrial society: characteristic features
Here we distinguish between simple and complex societies. Pre-industrial society (simple) is a society without social inequality and division into strata or classes, as well as without commodity-money relations and a state apparatus.
In primitive times, gatherers, hunters, then early pastoralists and farmers lived in a simple society.
The social structure of pre-industrial society (simple) has the following features:
- small size of the association;
- primitive level of development of technology and division of labor;
- egalitarianism (economic, political, social equality);
- priority of blood ties.
Stages of evolution of simple societies
- groups (local);
- communities (primitive).
The second stage has two periods:
- clan community;
- neighbor's
The transition from tribal communities to neighboring ones became possible thanks to a sedentary lifestyle: groups of blood relatives settled close to each other and were united by marriage, mutual assistance regarding joint territories, and a labor corporation.
Thus, pre-industrial society is characterized by the gradual emergence of the family, the emergence of division of labor (between genders, between ages), and the emergence of social norms that constitute taboos (absolute prohibitions).
Transitional form from simple to complex society
A chiefdom is a hierarchical structure of a system of people that does not have an extensive administrative apparatus, which is an integral part of a mature state.
In terms of numbers, this is a large association (larger than a tribe). It already contains gardening without arable farming and a surplus product without surplus. Gradually, a stratification arises into rich and poor, noble and simple. The number of management levels is 2-10 or more. Modern examples of chiefdoms are: New Guinea, Tropical Africa and Polynesia.
Complex pre-industrial societies
The final stage in the evolution of simple societies, as well as the prologue to complex ones, was the Neolithic Revolution. A complex (pre-industrial) society is characterized by the emergence of a surplus product, social inequality and stratification (castes, classes, slavery, estates), commodity-money relations, and an extensive, specialized management apparatus.
It is usually numerous (hundreds of thousands - hundreds of millions of people). Within a complex society, consanguineous, personal relationships are replaced by unrelated, impersonal ones (this is especially true in cities, when even cohabitants may be strangers).
Social ranks are replaced by social stratification. As a rule, a pre-industrial (complex) society is referred to as stratified due to the fact that the strata are numerous and the groups include exclusively those who are not related to the ruling class.
Signs of a complex society by W. Child
There are at least eight of them. The signs of a pre-industrial society (complex) are as follows:
- People are settled in cities.
- Non-agricultural specialization of labor is developing.
- A surplus product appears and accumulates.
- Clear class distances emerge.
- Customary law is replaced by legal law.
- Large-scale public works such as irrigation emerge, and pyramids also emerge.
- Overseas trade appears.
- Writing, mathematics and an elite culture emerge.
Despite the fact that agrarian society (pre-industrial) was characterized by the emergence of a large number of cities, most of the population lived in the village (a closed territorial peasant community leading a subsistence economy that is loosely connected to the market). The village is focused on religious values and traditional way of life.
Characteristic features of pre-industrial society
The following features of traditional society are distinguished:
- Agriculture occupies a dominant position, in which manual technologies predominate (using animal and human energy).
- A significant proportion of the population is rural.
- Production is focused on personal consumption, and therefore market relations are underdeveloped.
- Caste or class system of population classification.
- Low level of social mobility.
- Large patriarchal families.
- Social change is proceeding at a slow pace.
- Priority is given to the religious and mythological worldview.
- Homogeneity of values and norms.
- Sacralized, authoritarian political power.
These are schematic and simplified features of traditional society.
Industrial type of society
The transition to this type was due to two global processes:
- industrialization (creation of large-scale machine production);
- urbanization (relocation of people from villages to cities, as well as promotion of urban life values in all segments of the population).
Industrial society (which originated in the 18th century) is the child of two revolutions - political (the Great French Revolution) and economic (the English Industrial Revolution). The result of the first is economic freedom, a new social stratification, and the second is a new political form (democracy), political freedom.
Feudalism gave way to capitalism. The concept of “industrialization” has become stronger in everyday life. Its flagship is England. This country is the birthplace of machine production, new legislation and free enterprise.
Industrialization is interpreted as the use of scientific knowledge regarding industrial technology, the discovery of fundamentally new sources of energy, which made it possible to perform all the work previously carried out by people or draft animals.
Thanks to the transition to industry, a small proportion of the population was able to feed a significant number of people without cultivating the land.
Compared to agricultural states and empires, industrial countries are more numerous (tens, hundreds of millions of people). These are the so-called highly urbanized societies (cities began to play a dominant role).
Signs of an industrial society:
- industrialization;
- class antagonism;
- representative democracy;
- urbanization;
- division of society into classes;
- transfer of power to the owners;
- little social mobility.
Thus, we can say that pre-industrial and industrial societies are actually different social worlds. This transition certainly could not be easy or quick. It took Western societies, so to speak, the pioneers of modernization, more than one century to implement this process.
Post-industrial society
It gives priority to the service sector, which prevails over industry and agriculture. The social structure of post-industrial society is shifting in favor of those employed in the above-mentioned sphere, and new elites are also emerging: scientists and technocrats.
This type of society is characterized as “post-class” due to the fact that it shows the disintegration of entrenched social structures and identities that are so characteristic of industrial society.
Industrial and post-industrial society: distinctive features
The main characteristics of modern and post-modern society are indicated in the table below.
Characteristic | Modern society | Post-modern society |
1. The basis of social welfare | ||
2. Mass class | Managers, employees |
|
3. Social structure | “Grainy”, status | "Cellular", functional |
4. Ideology | Sociocentrism | Humanism |
5. Technical basis | Industrial | Information |
6. Leading industry | Industry | |
7. Principle of management and organization | Management | Coordination |
8. Political regime | Self-government, direct democracy |
|
9. Religion | Small denominations |
Thus, both industrial and post-industrial society are modern types. The main distinctive feature of the latter is that a person is not considered primarily as an “economic person”. Post-industrial society is a “post-labor”, “post-economic” society (the economic subsystem loses its decisive significance; labor is not the basis of social relations).
Comparative characteristics of the considered types of social development
Let us trace the main differences that traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies have. Comparative characteristics are presented in the table.
Comparison criterion | Pre-industrial (traditional) | Industrial | Post-industrial |
1. Main production factor | |||
2. Main production product | Food | Industrial goods | |
3. Features of production | Exclusively manual labor | Widespread use of technologies and mechanisms | Computerization of society, automation of production |
4. Specifics of work | Individuality | Predominance of standard activities | Encouraging creativity |
5. Employment structure of the population | Agricultural - approximately 75% | Agricultural - approximately 10%, industry - 75% | Agricultural - 3%, industry - 33%, service sector - 66% |
6. Priority type of export | Mainly raw materials | Products produced | |
7. Social structure | Classes, estates, castes included in the collective, their isolation; little social mobility | Classes, their mobility; simplification of existing social structures | Maintaining existing social differentiation; increase in the size of the middle class; professional differentiation based on qualifications and level of knowledge |
8. Average life expectancy | From 40 to 50 years | Up to 70 years and above | Over 70 years |
9. The degree of human influence on the environment | Uncontrolled, local | Uncontrollable, global | Controlled, global |
10. Relations with other states | Minor | Close relationship | Complete openness of society |
11. Political sphere | Most often, monarchical forms of government, lack of political freedoms, power is above the law | Political freedoms, equality before the law, democratic transformations | Political pluralism, strong civil society, emergence of a new democratic form |
So, it is worth recalling once again the three types of social development: traditional, industrial and post-industrial society.