Modern societies differ in many ways, but they also have the same parameters by which they can be typified.
One of the main trends in typology is choice of political relations, forms state power as grounds for distinguishing different types of society. For example, u and i societies differ in type state structure : monarchy, tyranny, aristocracy, oligarchy, democracy. In modern versions of this approach, there is a distinction totalitarian(the state determines all the main directions of social life); democratic(population can influence state structures) and authoritarian(combining elements of totalitarianism and democracy) societies.
The basis typology of society supposed Marxism difference between societies type of industrial relations in various socio-economic formations: primitive communal society (primitive appropriating mode of production); societies with an Asian mode of production (the presence of a special type of collective ownership of land); slave-owning societies (ownership of people and the use of slave labor); feudal (exploitation of peasants attached to the land); communist or socialist societies (equal attitude of all to ownership of the means of production through the elimination of private property relations).
Traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies
The most stable in modern sociology is considered a typology based on the allocation traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies.
traditional society(it is also called simple and agrarian) is a society with an agrarian way of life, sedentary structures and a method of sociocultural regulation based on traditions (traditional society). The behavior of individuals in it is strictly controlled, regulated by the customs and norms of traditional behavior, established social institutions, among which the family will be the most important. Attempts of any social transformations, innovations are rejected. For him characterized by low rates of development, production. Important for this type of society is the well-established social solidarity that Durkheim established while studying the society of Australian aborigines.
traditional society characterized by a natural division and specialization of labor (mainly by gender and age), personalization of interpersonal communication (directly individuals, not officials or status persons), informal regulation of interactions (norms of unwritten laws of religion and morality), connectedness of members by kinship relations (family type of community organization) , a primitive system of community management (hereditary power, the rule of elders).
Modern societies differ in the following traits: the role-based nature of interaction (expectations and behavior of people are determined by social status and social functions individuals); the developing deep division of labor (on a professional and qualification basis related to education and work experience); a formal system of regulation of relations (based on written law: laws, regulations, contracts, etc.); complex system social management(singling out the institution of management, special governing bodies: political, economic, territorial and self-government); secularization of religion (separation of it from the system of government); the allocation of many social institutions (self-reproducing systems of special relations that allow for social control, inequality, protection of its members, distribution of benefits, 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 the flexibility of social structures, social mobility, and a developed system of communications.
In the 1960s concepts appear post-industrial (informational) societies (D. Bell, A. Touraine, Y. Habermas), caused by drastic changes in the economy and culture of the most developed countries. The role of knowledge and information, computer and automatic devices is recognized as leading in society.. An individual who has received the necessary education, who has access to the latest information, gets an advantageous chance of moving up the ladder of the social hierarchy. Creative work becomes the main goal of a person in society.
The negative side of the post-industrial society is the danger of strengthening on the part of the state, the ruling elite through access to information and electronic means. mass media and communication over people and society as a whole.
life world human society getting stronger obeys the logic of efficiency and instrumentalism. Culture, including traditional values, is destroyed under the influence of administrative control tending towards standardization and unification of social relations, social behavior. Society is becoming more logical economic life and bureaucratic thinking.
Distinctive features of a post-industrial society:- the transition from the production of goods to a service economy;
- the rise and dominance of highly educated vocational professionals;
- 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 technological innovations;
- decision-making based on the creation of intelligent technology, as well as using the so-called information technology.
The latter was brought to life by the needs of the one that began to form. information society. 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): knowledge, scientific, organizational factors, intellectual abilities of people, their initiative, creativity.
The concept of post-industrialism has been developed in detail today, it has a lot of supporters and an ever-increasing number of opponents. The world has formed two main directions assessments of the future development of human society: eco-pessimism and techno-optimism. eco-pessimism predicts in 2030 a total global catastrophe due to increasing environmental pollution; destruction of the Earth's biosphere. Techno-optimism draws a more rosy picture, assuming that scientific and technological progress will cope with all the difficulties in the development of society.
Basic typologies of society
Several typologies of society have been proposed in the history of social thought.
Typologies of society during the formation of sociological science
French scientist, founder of sociology O. Comte proposed a three-part stadial typology, which included:
- stage of military domination;
- stage of feudal rule;
- stage of industrial civilization.
The basis of the typology G. Spencer the principle of the evolutionary development of societies from simple to complex, i.e. from an elementary society to an increasingly differentiated one. The development of societies Spencer represented as constituent part unified evolutionary process for all nature. The lowest pole of the evolution of society is formed by the so-called military societies, characterized by high homogeneity, the subordinate position of the individual and the dominance of coercion as an integration factor. From this phase, through a series of intermediate phases, society develops to the highest pole - an industrial society dominated by democracy, the voluntary nature of integration, spiritual pluralism and diversity.
Typologies of society in the classical period of development of sociology
These typologies differ from those described above. The sociologists of that period saw their task in explaining it, starting not from the general order of nature and the laws of its development, but from nature itself and its internal laws. So, E. Durkheim strove to find the "original cell" of the social as such, and for this purpose sought the "simplest", most elementary society, the most simple form organization of "collective consciousness". Therefore, his typology of societies is built from simple to complex, and it is based on the principle of complicating the form of social solidarity, i.e. awareness by individuals of their unity. Mechanical solidarity operates in simple societies because the individuals who make them up are very similar in consciousness and life situation- as particles of a mechanical whole. In complex societies there is a complex system division of labor, differentiated functions of individuals; therefore, the individuals themselves are separated from each other in terms of their way of life and consciousness. They are united by functional ties, and their solidarity is "organic", functional. Both types of solidarity are present in any society, but mechanical solidarity dominates in archaic societies, while organic solidarity dominates in modern ones.
German classic of sociology M. Weber viewed the social as a system of domination and subordination. His approach was based on the concept of society as the result of a struggle for power and to maintain dominance. Societies are classified according to the type of domination that has developed in them. The charismatic type of domination arises on the basis of a personal special power - charisma - of the ruler. Charisma is usually held by priests or leaders, and such dominance is irrational and does not require a special system of government. Modern society, according to Weber, is characterized by a legal type of domination based on law, characterized by the presence of a bureaucratic management system and the operation of the principle of rationality.
Typology of a French sociologist J. Gurvich differs by a complex multi-level system. He identifies four types of archaic societies that had a primary global structure:
- tribal (Australia, American Indians);
- tribal, which included heterogeneous and weakly hierarchized groups, united around the endowed magic power leader (Polynesia, Melanesia);
- tribal with a military organization, consisting of family groups and clans (North America);
- tribal tribes united in monarchical states ("black" Africa).
- charismatic societies (Egypt, Ancient China, Persia, Japan);
- patriarchal societies (Homeric Greeks, Jews of the era Old Testament, Romans, Slavs, Franks);
- city-states (Greek policies, Roman cities, Italian cities renaissance period);
- feudal hierarchical societies (European Middle Ages);
- societies that gave rise to enlightened absolutism and capitalism (Europe only).
In the modern world, Gurvich distinguishes: a technical-bureaucratic society; a liberal-democratic society built on the principles of collectivist etatism; a society of pluralistic collectivism, etc.
Typologies of the Society of Contemporary Sociology
The postclassical stage in the development of sociology is characterized by typologies based on the principle of the technical and technological development of societies. Nowadays, the most popular typology is one that distinguishes traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies.
Traditional societies characterized by a high development of agricultural labor. The main sector of production is the procurement of raw materials, which is carried out within the framework of peasant families; members of society seek to meet mainly domestic needs. The basis of the economy is the family economy, capable of satisfying, if not all of their needs, then a significant part of them. Technical development is extremely weak. In decision making, the main method is the trial and error method. Social relations are extremely poorly developed, as is social differentiation. Such societies are traditionally oriented and therefore directed towards the past.
industrial society - a society characterized by high industrial development and rapid economic growth. Economic development It is carried out mainly due to the extensive, consumer attitude to nature: in order to meet its actual needs, such a society strives for the fullest possible development of the natural resources at its disposal. The main sector of production is the processing and processing of materials carried out by teams of workers in factories and factories. Such a society and its members strive for maximum adaptation to the present moment and satisfaction of social needs. The main decision-making method is empirical research.
Another very important feature of an industrial society is the so-called "modernizing optimism", i.e. absolute confidence that any problem, including social, can be solved based on scientific knowledge and technology.
post-industrial society- this is a society that is emerging at the moment and has a number of significant differences from an industrial society. If an industrial society is characterized by a desire for the maximum development of industry, then in a post-industrial society, knowledge, technology and information play a much more noticeable (and ideally paramount) role. In addition, the service sector is developing at a rapid pace, overtaking industry.
In a post-industrial society, there is no faith in the omnipotence of science. This is partly due to the fact that humanity is faced with negative consequences own activities. For this reason, “ecological values” come to the fore, and this means not only a careful attitude to nature, but also an attentive attitude to the balance and harmony necessary for the adequate development of society.
The basis of a post-industrial society is information, which in turn gave rise to another type of society - informational. According to the information society theory proponents, a completely new society is emerging, characterized by processes that are opposite to those that took place in the previous phases of the development of societies even in the 20th century. For example, instead of centralization, there is regionalization; instead of hierarchization and bureaucratization, democratization; instead of concentration, disaggregation; instead of standardization, individualization. All these processes are driven by information technology.
Service providers either provide information or use it. For example, teachers transfer knowledge to students, repairmen use their knowledge to service equipment, lawyers, doctors, bankers, pilots, designers sell to clients their specialized knowledge of laws, anatomy, finance, aerodynamics and color schemes. They do not produce anything, unlike factory workers in an industrial society. Instead, they transfer or use knowledge to provide services that others are willing to pay for.
Researchers are already using the term virtual society" to describe the modern type of society that has developed and is developing under the influence of information technologies, especially Internet technologies. The virtual, or possible, world has become a new reality as a result of the computer boom that has swept society. Virtualization (replacement of reality with simulation/image) of society, the researchers note, is total, since all the elements that make up society are virtualized, significantly changing their appearance, their status and role.
Post-industrial society is also defined as a society " post-economic", "post-labor”, i.e. a society in which the economic subsystem loses its defining significance, and labor ceases to be the basis of all social relations. In a post-industrial society, a person loses his economic essence and is no longer considered as an “economic person”; it focuses on new, “post-materialist” values. The emphasis is shifting to social, humanitarian problems, and the issues of quality and safety of life, self-realization of the individual in various social spheres, in connection with which new criteria for well-being and social well-being are being formed.
According to the concept of a post-economic society developed by the Russian scientist V.L. Inozemtsev, in a post-economic society, in contrast to an economic society focused on material enrichment, the main goal for most people is the development of their own personality.
The theory of post-economic society is associated with a new periodization of the history of mankind, in which three large-scale eras can be distinguished - pre-economic, economic and post-economic. Such periodization is based on two criteria - the type of human activity and the nature of the relationship between the interests of the individual and society. The post-economic type of society is defined as a type of social structure where a person's economic activity is becoming more intense and complex, but is no longer determined by his material interests, is not set by the traditionally understood economic expediency. The economic basis of such a society is formed by the destruction of private property and a return to personal property, to a state of non-alienation of the worker from the instruments of production. The post-economic society is characterized by a new type of social confrontation - the confrontation between the information and intellectual elite and all people who are not included in it, who are employed in the sphere of mass production and, because of this, are forced out to the periphery of society. However, each member of such a society has the opportunity to enter the elite himself, since belonging to the elite is determined by abilities and knowledge.
25. Main types of societies: traditional, industrial, post-industrial. Formational and civilizational approaches to the development of society.
The most stable in modern sociology is the typology based on the allocation of traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies.
A traditional society (it is also called simple and agrarian) is a society with an agrarian way of life, sedentary structures and a method of sociocultural regulation based on traditions (traditional society). The behavior of individuals in it is strictly controlled, regulated by the customs and norms of traditional behavior, established social institutions, among which the family and community will be the most important. Attempts of any social transformations, innovations are rejected. It is characterized by low rates of development and production. Important for this type of society is a well-established social solidarity, which was established by Durkheim, studying the society of the Australian Aborigines.
A traditional society is characterized by a natural division and specialization of labor (mainly by gender and age), personalization of interpersonal communication (directly by individuals, and not by officials or status persons), informal regulation of interactions (by the norms of the unwritten laws of religion and morality), connectedness of members by kinship relations (family type of organization). community), a primitive system of community management (hereditary power, the rule of elders).
Modern societies are distinguished by the following features: the role-based nature of interaction (expectations and behavior of people are determined by the social status and social functions of individuals); the developing deep division of labor (on a professional and qualification basis related to education and work experience); a formal system of regulation of relations (based on written law: laws, regulations, contracts, etc.); a complex system of social management (singling out the institution of management, special governing bodies: political, economic, territorial and self-government); secularization of religion (separation of it from the system of government); the allocation of many social institutions (self-reproducing systems of special relations that allow for social control, inequality, protection of its members, distribution of benefits, production, communication).
These include industrial and post-industrial societies.
An industrial society is a type of organization of social life that combines the freedom and interests of the individual with the general principles governing their joint activities. It is characterized by the flexibility of social structures, social mobility, and a developed system of communications.
In the 1960s the concepts of a post-industrial (information) society appear (D. Bell, A. Touraine, J. Habermas), caused by drastic changes in the economy and culture of the most developed countries. The role of knowledge and information, computer and automatic devices is recognized as leading in society. An individual who has received the necessary education, who has access to the latest information, gets an advantageous chance of moving up the ladder of the social hierarchy. Creative work becomes the main goal of a person in society.
The negative side of the post-industrial society is the danger of strengthening social control by 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 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 a post-industrial society:
the transition from the production of goods to a service economy;
the rise and dominance of highly educated vocational professionals;
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 technological innovations;
decision-making based on the creation of intelligent technology, as well as using the so-called information technology.
The latter was brought to life by the needs of the information society that began 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): knowledge, scientific, organizational factors, intellectual abilities of people, their initiative, creativity.
The concept of post-industrialism has been developed in detail today, it has a lot of supporters and an ever-increasing number of opponents. In the world, two main directions for assessing the future development of human society have been formed: 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, assuming that scientific and technological progress will cope with all the difficulties in the development of society.
Traditional
 |
Industrial
 |
post-industrial
 |
| 1.ECONOMY. | ||
| natural agriculture | Industry is at the heart of it, and in agriculture it is the increase in labor productivity. Destruction of natural dependence. | The basis of production is information. The services sector comes to the fore. |
| primitive crafts | Machine technology | Computer techologies |
| The predominance of the collective form of ownership. Protecting the property of only the upper stratum of society. traditional economy. | The basis of the economy is state and private property, a market economy. | The presence 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 the exclusivity. |
| Extensive economy | intensive economy | Increase in the share of small-scale production. |
| Hand tools | Machine technology, conveyor production, automation, mass production | The sector of the economy associated with the production of knowledge, processing and dissemination of information is 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 bulk of the population is low. | Income growth. Mercantilism consciousness. | High level and quality of life of people. |
| 2. SOCIAL SPHERE. | ||
| Dependence of position on social status. The main cells of society are the family, the community | The emergence of new classes - the bourgeoisie and the industrial proletariat. Urbanization. | Erasure of class differences. Growth of the proportion of the middle class. The proportion of the population employed in the processing and dissemination of information is significantly increasing over the labor force in agriculture and industry |
| The stability of the social structure, the boundaries between social communities sustainable, 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. | The elimination of social polarization. Erasure of class distinctions. |
| 3. POLICY. | ||
| The dominance of the church and the army | The role of the state is growing. | Political pluralism |
| Power is hereditary, the source of power is the will of God. | The rule of law and the law (though more often on paper) Equality before the law. The rights and freedoms of the individual are legally enshrined. The main regulator of relations is the rule of law. | Civil society. Relations between the individual and society are based on the principle of mutual responsibility. |
| There are no monarchical forms of government, there are no political freedoms, power is above the law, the absorption of the individual by the collective, a despotic state The state subjugates society, society 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 | The law, the right - not on paper, but in practice. Democracy. "Consensus" democracy. Political pluralism. |
| 4. SPIRITUAL SPHERE. | ||
| Norms, customs, beliefs. | Continuous education. | |
| providentialism consciousness, a fanatical attitude towards religion. | Secularization consciousness. The emergence of atheists. | Freedom of conscience and religion. |
| Individualism and originality of the individual were not encouraged, the collective consciousness prevails over the individual. | Individualism, rationalism, utilitarianism of consciousness. | The desire to prove yourself, to achieve success in life. |
| There are few educated people, the role of science is not great. Elite education. | The role of knowledge and education is great. Basically secondary education. | The role of science, education, the age of information is great. Higher education. A global telecommunications network, the Internet, is being formed. |
| Predominance of oral information over written. | The dominance of mass culture. | Availability different types culture |
| GOAL. | ||
| adaptation to nature. | The 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 - a person, his individuality, interests. solution of 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, on 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, the 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, authoritarian ideology.
—open society - characterized by a dynamic social structure, high social mobility, ability to innovate, pluralism, lack of state ideology.
- According to the presence of writing:
— pre-literate
—written (owner of the alphabet or sign writing)
3.According to the degree of social differentiation (or stratification):
— simple - pre-state formations, no leaders 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, the manifestation of his personality, self-development. |
| mercantilism | the goal is the accumulation of wealth, the achievement of material well-being, monetary issues come first. |
| providentialism | a fanatical attitude towards religion, the complete subordination to it of the life of both an individual and the whole society, a religious worldview. |
| rationalism | the predominance of the mind in the actions and actions of a person, and not emotions, an approach to resolving issues from the point of view of reasonableness - unreasonableness. |
| secularization | the process of liberation of all spheres public life as well as the consciousness of people out of control and influence of religion |
| urbanization | growth of cities and urban population |
Material prepared: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna
It is proved that society is constantly evolving. The development of society can proceed in two directions and take three specific forms.
Directions of development of society
It is customary to single out social progress (the trend of development from the lowest level of the material state of the 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 we demonstrate the development of society graphically, we will get a broken line (where ups and downs will be displayed, for example, the period of fascism is a stage of social regression).
Society is a complex and multifaceted mechanism, in connection with which progress can be traced in one of its areas, while regression in another.
So, if you turn to historical facts, then one 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 back side medals (regression) - destruction of natural resources, undermining the natural habitat of a person, etc.
Criteria of social progress
There are six of them:
- affirmation of democracy;
- the growth of the welfare of the population and its social security;
- improving interpersonal relationships;
- the growth of spirituality and the ethical component of society;
- weakening interpersonal confrontation;
- a measure of freedom granted 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, occurring naturally). Features of her character: gradualness, continuity, ascent (for example, scientific and technical evolution).
Second form community development- revolution (quick, deep changes; a radical upheaval of social life). The nature of revolutionary change 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, economy, culture, social organization), then the revolution is called social. Such changes cause strong emotionality, mass activity of the entire population (for example, such Russian revolutions like October, February).
The third form of social development is reforms (a set of measures aimed at transforming specific aspects of society, for example, economic reform or educational reform).
Systematic model of typologies of social development D. Bell
This American sociologist delimited 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, mode of production, social institutions, culture, and population.
Pre-industrial society: characteristics
There are simple and complex societies. A pre-industrial society (simple) is a society without social inequality and division into strata or classes, as well as without commodity-money relations and the state apparatus.
In primitive times, gatherers, hunters, then early pastoralists, farmers lived in a simple society.
The social structure of a 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 in the evolution of simple societies
- groups (local);
- communities (primitive).
The second stage has two periods:
- tribal community;
- neighborly.
The transition from tribal communities to neighboring ones became possible thanks to a sedentary lifestyle: groups blood relatives settled not far from each other and united both by marriages and by mutual assistance regarding joint territories, by a labor corporation.
Thus, pre-industrial society is characterized by the gradual emergence of the family, the emergence of a division of labor (inter-gender, inter-age), the emergence of social norms that are taboos (absolute prohibitions).
Transitional form from a simple society to a complex one
The 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.
According to the size criterion, this is a large association (more than a tribe). There is already horticulture without arable farming and a surplus product without surplus. Gradually, there is a stratification into rich and poor, noble and simple. The number of management levels - 2-10 and 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, an extensive, specialized management apparatus.
It is usually numerous (hundreds of thousands - hundreds of millions of people). Within the framework of a complex society, consanguineous, personal relationships are replaced by unrelated, impersonal ones (this is especially evident in cities, when even cohabitants may be unfamiliar).
Social ranks are replaced by social stratification. As a rule, a pre-industrial society (complex) is referred to as stratified because the strata are numerous and the groups include only those who are not related to the ruling class.
Signs of a complex society by V. 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.
- There are clear class divisions.
- Customary law is replaced by legal law.
- Large-scale public works such as irrigation are born, and pyramids are also emerging.
- Overseas trade appears.
- There is writing, mathematics and elite culture.
Despite the fact that the agrarian society (pre-industrial) is characterized by the emergence of a large number of cities, most of the population lived in the countryside (a closed territorial peasant community, leading a subsistence economy, which is poorly connected with the market). The village is oriented towards religious values and traditional way of life.
Characteristic features of pre-industrial society
The following features of a traditional society are distinguished:
- Agriculture occupies a dominant position, which is dominated by manual technologies (the energy of animals and people is used).
- A significant proportion of the population is in rural areas.
- Production is focused on personal consumption, in connection with which market relations underdeveloped.
- Caste or estate classification system of the population.
- 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 a 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 (resettlement of people from villages to cities, as well as the promotion of urban life values in all segments of the population).
Industrial society (originated in the 18th century) is the child of two revolutions - political (the French Revolution) and economic (the English Industrial Revolution). The result of the first is economic freedoms, a new social stratification, and the second is a new political form (democracy), political freedoms.
Feudalism has been replaced by capitalism. In everyday life, the concept of "industrialization" has become stronger. Its flagship is England. This country is the birthplace of machine production, new legislation and free enterprise.
Industrialization is interpreted as the use scientific knowledge regarding industrial technology, the discovery of fundamentally new energy sources that 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 the procedure for cultivating the land.
Compared with 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;
- the 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 obviously could not be either 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 the post-industrial society is shifting in favor of those employed in the aforementioned area, and new elites are also emerging: scientist and technocrats.
This type of society is characterized as "post-class" in view of the fact that it shows the collapse of entrenched social structures, identities that are so characteristic of an industrial society.
Industrial and post-industrial society: distinctive features
The main characteristics of modern and postmodern society are shown in the table below.
Characteristic | Modern society | postmodern society |
1. The basis of public welfare | ||
2. Mass class | Managers, employees |
|
3. Social structure | "Grainy", status | "Cellular", functional |
4. Ideology | sociocentrism | Humanism |
5. Technical basis | Industrial | Informational |
6. Leading industry | Industry | |
7. The 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. home distinguishing feature the latter is that a person is not seen as predominantly an “economic person”. A post-industrial society is a “post-labor”, “post-economic” society (the economic subsystem loses its decisive importance; labor is not the basis of social relations).
Comparative characteristics of the considered types of development of society
Let us trace the main differences that have a traditional, industrial and post-industrial society. Comparative characteristics are presented in the table.
Comparison criterion | Pre-industrial (traditional) | Industrial | post-industrial |
1. Main production factor | |||
2. Main production product | Food | Manufactured goods | |
3. Features of production | Exceptionally manual labor | Widespread use of technologies and mechanisms | Computerization of society, automation of production |
4. Specificity of labor | Individuality | Predominance of standard activities | Encouraging creativity |
5. The structure of employment | Agriculture - approximately 75% | Agriculture - approximately 10%, industry - 75% | Agriculture - 3%, industry - 33%, services - 66% |
6. Priority type of export | Mainly raw materials | Manufactured products | |
7. Social structure | Classes, estates, castes included in the collective, their isolation; little social mobility | Classes, their mobility; simplification of the existing social structures | Preservation of the existing social differentiation; an increase in the size of the middle class; professional differentiation based on qualifications and level of knowledge |
8. Life expectancy | 40 to 50 years old | Up to 70 years old and above | Over 70 years |
9. The degree of human impact on the environment | Uncontrolled, local | Uncontrolled, global | controlled, global |
10. Relations with other states | Minor | Close relationship | Complete openness of society |
11. Political sphere | Most often monarchical forms government, lack of political freedoms, power is above the law | Political freedoms, equality before the law, democratic transformations | Political pluralism, a strong civil society, the 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.
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Typology of societies: Traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies
In the modern world there are different types societies that differ from each other in many ways, both explicit (language of communication, culture, geographical position, size, etc.), and hidden (degree social integration, level of stability, etc.). Scientific classification involves the selection of the most significant, typical features that distinguish some features from others and unite societies of the same group.Typology(from the Greek tupoc - imprint, form, sample and logoc - word, teaching) - method scientific knowledge, which is based on the division of systems of objects and their grouping using a generalized, idealized model or type.
In the middle of the 19th century, K. Marx proposed a typology of societies, which was based on the method of production of material goods and production relations - primarily property relations. He divided all societies into 5 main types (according to the type of socio-economic formations): primitive communal, slave-owning, feudal, capitalist and communist (the initial phase is a socialist society).
Another typology divides all societies into simple and complex. The criterion is the number of management levels and the degree of social differentiation (stratification).
A simple society is a society in which the components are homogeneous, there are no rich and poor, leaders and subordinates, the structure and functions here are poorly differentiated and can be easily interchanged. Such are the primitive tribes, in some places preserved to this day.
A complex society is a society with highly differentiated structures and functions that are interconnected and interdependent on each other, which necessitates their coordination.
K. Popper distinguishes between two types of societies: closed and open. The differences between them are based on a number of factors, and, above all, the attitude social control and freedom of the individual.
A closed society is characterized by a static social structure, limited mobility, resistance to innovation, traditionalism, dogmatic authoritarian ideology, and collectivism. To this type of society, K. Popper attributed Sparta, Prussia, tsarist Russia, Nazi Germany, The Soviet Union Of The Stalin Era.
An open society is characterized by a dynamic social structure, high mobility, ability to innovate, criticism, individualism and democratic pluralistic ideology. K. Popper considered ancient Athens and modern Western democracies to be examples of open societies.
Modern sociology uses all typologies, combining them into some kind of synthetic model. The prominent American sociologist Daniel Bell (b. 1919) is considered its creator. He divided world history into three stages: pre-industrial, industrial and post-industrial. When one stage replaces another, technology changes, the mode of production, the form of ownership, social institutions, political regime, culture, lifestyle, population, social structure of society.
Traditional (pre-industrial) society- a society with an agrarian way of life, with a predominance of subsistence farming, a class hierarchy, sedentary structures and a method of socio-cultural regulation based on tradition. It is characterized by manual labor, extremely low rates of development of production, which can satisfy the needs of people only at a minimal level. It is extremely inertial, therefore it is not very susceptible to innovations. The behavior of individuals in such a society is regulated by customs, norms, and social institutions. Customs, norms, institutions, consecrated by traditions, are considered unshakable, not allowing even the thought of changing them. Performing their integrative function, culture and social institutions suppress any manifestation of individual freedom, which is necessary condition gradual renewal of society.
industrial society- The term industrial society was introduced by A. Saint-Simon, emphasizing its new technical basis.
In modern terms, this is a complex society, with an industrial-based way of managing, with flexible, dynamic and modifiable structures, a way of socio-cultural regulation based on a combination of individual freedom and the interests of society. These societies are characterized by a developed division of labor, the development of mass media, urbanization, etc.
post-industrial society- (sometimes called informational) - a society developed on an information basis: extraction (in traditional societies) and processing (in industrial societies) of natural products are replaced by the acquisition and processing of information, as well as predominant development (instead of Agriculture in traditional societies and industry in industrial) service sectors. As a result, the structure of employment and the ratio of various professional and qualification groups are also changing. According to forecasts, already at the beginning of the 21st century in advanced countries, half work force will be employed in the field of information, a quarter - in the field of material production and a quarter - in the production of services, including information.
Changing the technological basis also affects the organization of the entire system social connections and relationships. If in an industrial society the mass class was made up of workers, then in a post-industrial society it was employees and managers. At the same time, the significance of class differentiation is weakening, instead of a status (“granular”) social structure, a functional (“ready-made”) social structure is being formed. Instead of leading the principle of governance, coordination is becoming, and representative democracy is being replaced by direct democracy and self-government. As a result, instead of a hierarchy of structures, a new type of network organization is created, focused on rapid change depending on the situation.