Throughout the existence of mankind, society has not stood still and has developed. Science considers such development from different angles, using two different types of approach: civilizational and formational. In this article, I propose to consider only the first of these approaches.
This approach provides for the division of the stages of development of society into 3 time periods. Let's look at them and try to give each a detailed description and distinctive features.
Pre-industrial (agrarian) society
The first time period in the development of society. This type society is characterized by employment of the population mainly in the field of agriculture, while labor is of an individual nature. The main factor of production is land, labor is carried out manually, without the use of machinery. In this society, the life span is very short (40-50 years), there is a high mortality rate, which occurs due to underdeveloped medicine, and indeed all spheres of life, which, however, is compensated by a high birth rate. There is no social mobility, class or estate affiliation is determined at birth. The form of government is a monarchy. There are no examples of such states in modern world, however, various tribes of aborigines living in the territories of Africa and Australia can serve as such examples.
industrial society
An industrial society is characterized by the employment of the population in all spheres of activity. Thus, 85% work in the industrial sector, 5% in the service sector, and 10% in the agricultural sector. Naturally, these figures are not absolutely accurate, but they cannot change significantly and show the approximate employment of the population in various types of activities. In this society, social mobility appears, however, it is not so high, there is a division into classes, belonging to which is not determined at birth. Unlike the agrarian society, in the industrial one there is the use of technology in many types of labor, while the main factor of production is capital. Average life expectancy is quite high (about 70 years). The form of government is a republic, which provides every person with natural rights (the right to life, freedom, etc.). A vivid example of such a society can serve as the USSR (from the time of its foundation to the collapse) and modern China.
post-industrial society
Post-industrial society is characterized by high employment in the service sector. Thus, the distribution of labor in these areas of activity is approximately as follows: the service sector - 60%, agriculture - 5%, industry - 35%. At the same time, there is a complete automation of production, and knowledge is its main factor. There is high social mobility (higher than in an industrial society), class affiliation is not assigned at birth, but is determined only by the mental and other abilities of an individual. Life expectancy in such a society is higher than in the previous two, it averages more than 70 years. The form of government is a republic, which, just like in an industrial society, provides natural and other rights to people, but at the same time, an active civil society appears, which receives many rights to participate in political life. Vivid examples of states with this type of society can be modern Sweden, Spain, France.
Everyone has heard of such concepts as the industrial age and industrialization, but few can succinctly characterize them. Well, let's try to figure it out.
Industrial society: what is it
This era is characterized by this type of social relations, which are based on the division of labor, and industry is able to provide people with a comfortable life. It is an intermediate option between traditional and information (post-industrial) society.
Despite the fact that historians call the modern way of life post-industrial, it has many "industrial" features. After all, we still ride the subway, burn coal in boiler houses, and the cable phone sometimes reminds us of the industrial Soviet past with its shrill call.
Background of an industrial society
The entry of European society onto the path of progress is a gradual process characterized by a change from feudal to capitalist relations.
(the era of industrialization) is the period from the 16th to the 19th (beginning of the 20th) centuries. Over these three centuries, European society has come a long way of development, covering all spheres of human life:
- Economic.
- Political.
- Social.
- Technological.
- Spiritual.
The process of gradual innovation is called modernization.
The transition to an industrial society is characterized by:
- The division of labor. This is what caused the increase in production, as well as the formation of two economic classes: the proletariat (wage workers) and the bourgeoisie (capitalists). The result of the division of labor was the formation of a new economic system - capitalism.
- Colonialism - the domination of developed European countries over the economically backward states of the East. It is clear that the colonizer exploits the human and natural resources of the dependent country.
- Advances in science and engineering inventions have changed people's lives.
An industrial society is characterized by the following features
- Urbanization.
- The transition to capitalism.
- The emergence of a consumer society.
- The formation of a global market.
- Reducing the influence of the church on human life.
- Formation of mass culture.
- The huge impact of science on people's lives.
- The emergence of two new classes - the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
- Decrease in the number of peasants.
- Industrialization.
- Changing the worldview of people (the individuality of a person is the highest value).
Industrial revolution in European countries
As mentioned earlier, an industrial society is characterized by industrialization. We list in turn the countries of the Old World in which this process took place:
1. England is the first European country to take the path of progress. Already in the 16th century, the flying shuttle and the steam engine were invented. The 17th century can generally be called the century of inventions: the first steam locomotive made its way from Manchester to Liverpool. In 1837, the scientists Cook and Winston created the electromagnetic telegraph.
2. France "lost" a little in the industrialization of England because of the strong feudal order. However, the past revolution of 1789-1794 changed the situation: machines appeared, and weaving began to develop actively. The 18th century is notable for the development of the textile and ceramic industries. The final stage of French industrialization is the birth of mechanical engineering. Summing up, we can say that France became the second country that chose the capitalist path of development.
3. Germany lagged far behind the pace of modernization of its predecessors. The German industrial type of society is characterized by the appearance of the steam engine in the middle of the 19th century. As a result, the pace of industrial development in Germany gained impressive momentum, and the country became the leader in production in Europe.
What do traditional and industrial societies have in common?
These two fundamentally different ways of life have the same features. Traditional and industrial society are characterized by:
- the presence of an economic and political sphere;
- apparatus of power;
- - observed in any type of social relations, since all people are different, regardless of the era.
Economics of an industrial society
Compared with the agrarian relations of the Middle Ages, the modern economy was more productive.
How is the economy of an industrial society characterized, what distinguishes it?
- Mass production.
- Development of the banking sector..
- Origin of credit.
- The emergence of a global market.
- Cyclic crises (for example, overproduction).
- The class struggle of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie.
A precondition for major economic change was a division of labor that boosted productivity.
The English economist Adam Smith described it beautifully. He gave an example with the production of pins, in which one can clearly understand what the "division of labor" is.
An experienced craftsman produces only 20 pins per day. If, however, the production process is divided into simple operations, each of which will be performed by an individual worker, labor productivity will increase many times over. As a result, it turns out that a team of 10 people produces about 48 thousand pins!
social structure
The industrial society is characterized by the following features that have changed the daily life of people:
- population explosion;
- increase in life expectancy;
- baby boom (40-50s of the twentieth century);
- deterioration of the environment (harmful emissions increase with the development of industry);
- the emergence of a partner family instead of the traditional one - consists of parents and children;
- complicated social structure;
- social inequality between people.
Mass culture
What characterizes an industrial society, apart from capitalism and industrialization? she is an integral part of it.
Keeping pace with the emergence of sound recording technologies, cinema, radio and other means mass media- they combined the tastes and preferences of most people.
Mass culture is simple and understandable to all segments of the population, its goal is to evoke a certain emotional response from a person. It is designed to satisfy fleeting requests, as well as to entertain people.
Here are some examples of popular culture:
- Women's novels.
- glossy magazines.
- Comics.
- Serials.
- Detectives and fantasy.
The genres of literature indicated in the last paragraph are traditionally referred to as mass culture. But some social scientists do not share this view. For example, "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" is a series of detective stories written in artistic language and having many meanings. But the books of Alexandra Marinina can be safely attributed to mass culture - they are easy to read and have a clear plot.
What society do we live in
Western sociologists have introduced such a concept as an information (post-industrial) society. Its values are knowledge, the development of information technology, the safety of people and care for our big home - the wonderful green Earth.
Indeed, knowledge plays an increasingly important role in our lives, and Information Technology touched almost everyone.
But, despite this, industry continues to work, cars burn gasoline, and potatoes are harvested 100 years ago in the fall, and they are harvested. The industrial type of society, as mentioned earlier, is characterized precisely by industry. And the collection of potatoes is an agriculture that arose in time immemorial.
Therefore, the name of today's era "post-industrial" is a beautiful abstraction. It is more logical to call our society industrial with features of information.
Industrial society is characterized by many useful discoveries and man's visits to the Cosmos.
The store of knowledge accumulated today is enormous; another thing is that it can both benefit humanity and cause harm. We hope that a person will have enough intelligence to apply the accumulated potential of knowledge in the right direction.
typology society post-industrial
This stage is also called traditional or agrarian. It is dominated by extractive economic activities - agriculture, fishing, mining. The vast majority of the population (about 90%) is employed in agriculture. The main task of the agrarian society was the production food products just to feed the population. This is the longest of the three stages and has a history of thousands of years. In our time, most countries in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia are still at this stage of development. In a pre-industrial society, the main producer is not man, but nature. This stage is also characterized by rigidly authoritarian power and land ownership as the basis of the economy.
industrial society
In an industrial society, all forces are directed to industrial production in order to produce the goods necessary for society. The industrial revolution has borne fruit - now the main task of the agrarian and industrial society, which is simply to feed the population and provide them with basic livelihoods, has gone by the wayside. Only 5-10% of the population employed in agriculture produced enough food to feed the entire society.
post-industrial society
The transition to a new type of society - post-industrial - takes place in the last third of the 20th century. Society is already provided with food and goods, and various services are coming to the fore, mainly related to the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge. And as a result of the scientific and technological revolution, science turned into a direct productive force, which became the main factor in the development of society and its self-preservation.
Along with this, a person has more free time, and, consequently, opportunities for creativity, self-realization. At this time, technical developments are becoming more science-intensive, theoretical knowledge is of the greatest importance. The dissemination of this knowledge is ensured by a super-developed network of communications.
Social development can be reformist or revolutionary. Reform (from fr. reforme, lat. reformare - to transform). Revolution (from lat. revolutio - turn, coup). 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 foundations (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, the reforms of the 60-70s of the XIX century in Russia - the Great reforms of Alexander II); 2) Regressive (reactionary) (for example, the reforms of the second half of the 80s - early 90s of the XIX 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 XVIII-XIX centuries). Reforms can take place in all spheres of public life: - economic reforms - transformation of the economic mechanism: forms, methods, levers and organization of the country's economic management (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, the electoral system, the 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, the reforms in Russia in the early 90s. 20th century In modern conditions, two ways 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 “cure” an already neglected 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".
Under the innovation (from the English innovation - innovation, innovation, innovation) is understood as an ordinary, one-time improvement associated with an increase in the adaptive capabilities of the social organism in these conditions. In modern sociology, social development is associated with the process of modernization. Modernization (from 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 in the conditions of the existence of a “model”, for example, in the form of a Western European liberal model, often such modernization is understood as westernization, that is, the process of direct borrowing or planting.
In essence, this modernization is a global process of displacement of local, local types of cultures and social organization by "universal" (Western) forms of modernity.
There are several classifications (typologies) of society:
- 1) pre-written and written;
- 2) simple and complex (the criterion in this typology is the number of levels of management of a 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-owning society, feudal society, capitalist society, communist society (a formational sign acts as a criterion in this typology);
- 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 (information) - c) along the following lines of comparison: - the main factor of production - a) land; b) capital; c) knowledge; - the main product of production - a) food; b) industrial products; c) services; - characteristic features of production - a) manual labor; b) wide application of mechanisms, technologies; c) automation of production, computerization of society; - the nature of labor - a) individual labor; b) preferential standard activity; c) a sharp increase in creativity in labor; - 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%; - the main type of export - a) raw materials; b) products of production; c) services; - social structure - a) estates, classes, the inclusion of everyone in the team, the isolation of social structures, low social mobility; b) class division, simplification of the social structure, mobility and openness of social structures; c) the preservation of social differentiation, the growth of the middle class, professional differentiation depending on the level of knowledge and qualifications; - life expectancy - a) 40-50 years; b) over 70 years; 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; no political freedoms; power is above the law, it does not need justification; a combination of self-governing communities and traditional empires; b) the proclamation of political freedoms, equality before the law, democratic reforms; power is not perceived as a given, it is required to justify the right to leadership; c) political pluralism, strong civil society; the emergence of a new form of democracy, "consensus democracy"; - spiritual life - a) traditional religious values dominate; homogeneous character of culture; oral transmission of information prevails; a small number of educated people; fight against illiteracy; b) new values of progress, personal success, faith in science are affirmed; mass culture emerges and occupies a leading position; training of specialists; c) the special role of science and education; development of individualized consciousness; continuous 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 the 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 of "socio-economic formation".
The development of society is a stepwise process, representing an upward movement from the simplest economy to a more efficient, advanced one.
In the 20th century, well-known political scientists and sociologists put forward a theory according to which society overcomes three stages of its development: agrarian, industrial and post-industrial. Let us dwell in more detail on the agrarian society.
Agrarian society by types, features, features, characteristics
An agrarian, traditional or pre-industrial society is based on the traditional values of humanity. This type of society sees the preservation of the traditional way of life as the main goal, does not accept any changes and does not strive for development.
The agrarian society is characterized by a traditional economy, which is characterized by redistribution, and the manifestation of market relations and exchange is severely suppressed. In a traditional society, there is a priority of the attention of the state and the ruling elite over the individual's own interests. All politics is based on an authoritarian type of power.
The status of a person in society is determined by his birth. The whole society is divided into estates, the movement between which is impossible. The class hierarchy is again based on the traditional way of life.
An agrarian society is characterized by high mortality and birth rates. And at the same time a low life expectancy. Very strong family ties.
The pre-industrial type of society has been preserved for a long time in many countries of the East.
Economic Features of Agrarian Civilization and Culture
The basis of the traditional society is agriculture, the main components of which are agriculture, cattle breeding or fishing in coastal areas.
The priority of a certain type of economy depends on the climatic conditions and the geographical location of the place of settlement.
The agrarian society itself is completely dependent on nature and its conditions, while a person does not make changes to these forces, without trying to tame them.
For a long time, subsistence farming prevailed in pre-industrial society.
Industry is either non-existent or insignificant. Handicraft labor is poorly developed. All labor is aimed at satisfying the basic needs of a person; society does not even try to strive for more. Extra hours of work are recognized by society as a punishment.
A person inherits a profession and occupation from his parents. The lower classes are excessively devoted to the higher ones, hence such a system state power like a monarchy.
All values and culture as a whole are dominated by traditions.
Traditional agrarian society
As already mentioned, an agrarian society is based on the simplest craft and agriculture. The time frame for the existence of this society is the Ancient World and the Middle Ages.
At that time, the economy was based on the use of natural resources without any changes in the latter. Hence the small development of tools, which remain manual for a very long time.
The economic sphere of society is dominated by:
- building;
- extractive industries;
- natural economy.
There is trade, but it is not well developed, and the development of the market is not encouraged by the authorities.
Traditions give a person an already established system of values, the main role in which is occupied by religion and the undeniable authority of the head of state. The culture is based on the traditional reverence for one's own history.
The process of transforming the traditional agrarian civilization
An agrarian society is quite resistant to any changes, since its basis is traditions and an established way of life.
The transformations are so slow that they are invisible to a single person. Much easier transformations are given to states that are not fully traditional.
As a rule, this is a society with developed market relations - Greek policies, trading cities of England and Holland, Ancient Rome.
The impetus for the irreversible transformation of the agrarian civilization was the industrial revolution of the 18th century.
Any transformations in such a society are very painful for a person, especially if religion was the foundation for a traditional society. A person loses orientation and values. At this time, there is a strengthening of the authoritarian regime. The demographic transition completes all changes in society, in which the psychology of the younger generation changes.
Industrial and post-industrial agrarian society
Industrial society is distinguished by a sharp leap in the development of industry. A sharp increase in the rate of economic growth. This society is characterized by "optimism of modernizers" - an unshakable confidence in science, with the help of which it is possible to solve any problems that have arisen, including social ones.
In this society, a purely consumer attitude towards nature is the maximum development of available resources, pollution of nature. An industrial society lives one day, striving to meet social and domestic needs in full here and now.
Post-industrial society is just beginning its path of development.
In a post-industrial society, the following come to the fore:
- high tech;
- information;
- knowledge.
Industry is giving way to the service sector. Knowledge and information have become the main commodity in the market. Science is no longer recognized as omnipotent.
Mankind is finally beginning to realize all the negative consequences that have fallen on nature after the development of the industry. Social values are changing. Preservation of the environment and protection of nature come to the fore.
The main factor and sphere of production of an agrarian society
The main factor of production for an agrarian society is land. That is why the agrarian society practically excludes mobility, as it is completely dependent on the place of residence.
The main sphere of production is agriculture. All production is based on the procurement of raw materials, food. All members of society, first of all, strive to satisfy everyday needs. The basis of the economy is the family economy. Such a sphere may not always satisfy all human needs, but most of them for sure.
Agrarian State and Agrarian Fund
The Agrarian Fund is a state apparatus that is engaged in providing the country with adequate food. Its main task is to support the development of agricultural business in the country. The Fund is responsible for the import and export of agricultural goods, distributes products within the country.
Human civilization needs quality food, which can only be provided by developed agriculture. At the same time, it is important to take into account that agriculture has never been a highly profitable industry. Entrepreneurs abandon this type of business as soon as they encounter difficulties and lose profits.
In this case, the agrarian policy of the state helps agricultural production by allocating the necessary funds to compensate for possible losses.
In developed countries, the rural way of life and family farming are gaining more and more popularity.
Agricultural modernization
Agrarian modernization is based on increasing the rate of development of agricultural production and sets itself the following tasks:
- creation of a new model of economic growth in agriculture;
- creation of favorable economic trends for the agricultural business;
- improving rural infrastructure;
- attracting the younger generation to the village for life and work;
- assistance in solving land problems;
- environmental protection.
The main assistant of the state in the process of modernization is private business. Therefore, the state is obliged to meet the needs of the agricultural business and help its development in every possible way.
Modernization will bring agricultural and agricultural production to the proper level in the country, improve the quality of food, create additional jobs in the countryside and increase the standard of living of the population of the country as a whole.
You can learn more about the modernization of the agricultural sector of the economy at the annual Agroprodmash exhibition.
Read our other articles:3 Objectives of the lesson on the lines of personality development Lines 1-2. Lines 1-2. Picture of the world in facts and concepts Recall and summarize the main achievements of the Ancient World, the Middle Ages, the New Age. Line 3. Line 3. Historical thinking. When determining the logical sequence of the development of civilization, to consolidate the idea that the achievements of each era became the basis for the development of another. Line 4-5. Line 4-5. Moral and civil-patriotic self-determination. Define and explain your assessment of the changes in the New Age, based on modern humanistic moral values.
10 Creating a problem situation Page 6 The word “progress” appears in the text. How do you understand it? On the basis of what did the people of the New Age consider their time to be progressive? Progress is a movement from simple to complex, from worst to best. In the text I prove the words: “out of the darkness of ignorance”, “gaining new opportunities”
11 Creating a problem situation Page 6 Compare the text of the first and second columns. What is the contradiction? What is the question? Unlike the first text, the Bible says that everything new has already been once. That is, the opinions of the people of the 19th century diverged from the saying of the Bible.
Page 15 Remember and name the main events 1st row of centuries 2nd row of the 17th century 3rd row of the 18th century In the 15th century. Knowledge update
16 Finding a Solution Page From era to era, life has changed. The achievements of one period of history became the basis for the development of another. Highlight the achievements of each stage in the development of civilization. 1 row Ancient world 2 row Middle Ages 3 row new time -
17 Finding a solution 1 row Achievements of the Ancient World Civilization: cities, writing, division of people into social strata. Different religions of the world and philosophical teachings have developed. Ancient East Ancient East: complete subordination of subjects to a strong state, state property, care of communities and the state about the position of their subjects. Antique West Antique West: participation of citizens in the affairs of the state, their freedom, equality, private property. (Write in notebook) -
19 Finding a Solution Series 3 Achievements of the Modern Age Scientific picture of the world, colonial empires, world market, technical progress, capitalist relations, class division of society, industrial revolution, machine industry. industrial society. (Write in notebook) -
21 Finding a Solution Pg. 13, table Fill in the table (write in a notebook) - collectively Agrarian society Signs of modernization Industrial society Economy Agriculture is the basis of the economy. Most of the people live in villages. Natural economy. Development of market relations. Division of labor. Industrial revolution. Growth of cities and rural population. Most of the people and means are employed in the machine industry. Approval of market relations. The distribution of labor. The urban population prevails over the rural.
22 Finding a Solution Pg. 13, table Fill in the table (write in a notebook) - collectively Agrarian society Signs of modernization Industrial society Social structure Class system. Rights and obligations depend on the origin of the disintegration of estates and communities. Formation of civil equality. Civil equality
23 Finding a Solution Pg. 13, table Fill in the table (write in a notebook) - collectively Agrarian society Signs of modernization Industrial society Politics The state administration is dominated by the landowning nobility. Involvement of the general public in political life Constitution. Elections. parliament.
24 Finding a Solution Pg. 13, table Fill in the table (write in a notebook) - collectively Agrarian society! Signs of modernization Industrial society Culture Subordinated to religion. Few educated people. Reducing the influence of religion on culture. The gradual spread of literacy. Mass education. Variety of religions. 26 Topic: Introduction. Why is New Time called "new"? Problem. Why did the people of the 19th century consider their time to be the most progressive? Answer the problematic question The life of people in modern times has changed in all areas. Significantly facilitated manual labor; people became more literate, so it seemed to them that their era, compared with the primitive Ancient World and the “dark” Middle Ages, was more progressive.
