Strengths and weaknesses of traditional society. Industrial society - what are its disadvantages and advantages? Traditional and industrial society: differences

Lesson topic: Typology of societies. "From traditional society to
informational."
Purpose of the lesson: repetition and generalization of the typology of societies from the point of view of social
philosophical, historical-typological and socially specific levels
Lesson objectives:
 develop students’ ability to carry out complex searches,
 systematize social information on the topic, compare, analyze,
draw conclusions, rationally solve cognitive and problematic tasks;
 contribute to the development of students' civic position.
 Preparation for the Unified State Exam
Concepts and terms: “traditional society”, “industrialization”, “technogenic
civilization", "post-industrial society", "Western society", "civilization
eastern type", "non-economic coercion", "theocracy", "secularization",
"social contract"
Lesson type: business game lesson.
During the classes
I. Organizational moment
Each historical type of society has some common characteristics, according to
to which this or that community of people can be attributed to a certain historical
type of society. Different scientists, reflecting on these topics, define different
significant features. Most researchers believe that the decisive role
what is played here is: people’s relationship to nature; people's attitude towards each other; system
values ​​and life meanings.
Task 28. You are instructed to prepare a detailed answer on the topic “Typology of Societies.”
Make a plan according to which you will cover this topic. The plan should
contain at least three points, of which two or more are detailed in subparagraphs.
Thus, we will consider the following questions:
1. Traditional society.
2. The formation of an industrial society.
3. Industrial society as a technogenic civilization.
II. Work with text. Task 21. Indicate the characteristics of society named by the author.
Group 1, characterizes traditional society.
Group 2, characterizes industrial society.
Group 3 gives a description of technogenic civilization.
Response plan
1. Economic characteristics, attitude towards nature.
2. Political characteristics of society.
3. Social characteristics of society.
4. Features of the spiritual life of a given society
Name the characteristics of society not indicated in the text.
Questions for group 1
1. What civilizations does the concept of traditional society cover?
2. What is the basis of human life in a traditional society?
Describe the features of human labor at this stage of human development.

3. What was the relationship between man and nature at this stage? Bring
examples to support your conclusions.
4. What can you say about the relationships between people in traditional society?
5. What is “non-economic coercion”?
6. What are the consequences of such relationships between people. When answering, rely on
examples from general history.
7. What values ​​are formed at this stage of human development?
8. Comment on this fact from the point of view of the values ​​of traditional
society.
9. Describe the relationship between the concepts of “person” and “personality” in the traditional
society.
10. What was your attitude towards traditions?
11. How was the social status of a person determined in traditional society?
12. Explain the saying of that time: “It was written in the family.”
13. Describe the daily life of a traditional society.
14. Describe the political structure of states at the stage of traditional
society. Try to justify the strong power of the rulers and the obedience of the population.
15. What is the role of the church at this stage of human development?
16. Highlight the strengths and weaknesses of this type of society. Justify your choice.
Questions for group 2
1. List and characterize the prerequisites that formed the new type
civilizational development of industrial (capitalist) society.
2. How did K. Marx answer the question asked?
3. What did M. Weber see as the origins of the “spirit of capitalism”?
4. What is, from his point of view, “civilized capitalism”?
5. Describe the views of the French historian F. Braudel on the premises
capitalism.
6. Which of the listed thinkers do you think most accurately pointed out
prerequisites for the emerging industrial society.
Questions for group 3
1. What definition can be given to an industrial society?
2. What caused the rapid development of industrial society?
3. Why did a person in a traditional society perceive time as a series
repeating events (“wheel of times”), and a person in an industrial society as
progress (“arrow of time”)?
4. Why do some researchers call this period of social development
"technogenic civilization"?
5. How does a person’s place in the system of social production change?
6. What is the role of science at this stage?
7. Describe the quality of human life in an industrial society.
8. Describe the relationship between man and nature in this period
historical path.
9. What is “secularization of public consciousness”? What consequences does this have?
process for a person?
10. Describe the economic relations between people in the industrial
society.

11. Analyze these relationships: what seems fair to you and what doesn’t?
12. What are the consequences of breaking the relationship of personal dependence and clan
family affiliation?
13. What highest value does industrial society give to man?
14. Is it possible to identify civilized capitalism with enrichment at any cost?
15. Describe the changes that occurred in a person’s living conditions
industrial society.
16. What political trends are observed in this period of time?
17. Highlight the strengths and weaknesses of this type of society. Justify your choice.
Task 5. Classification by matching
Fill out the table provided using the characteristics provided.
Traditional society Industrial society Post-industrial society
Main factor of production

Characteristic features of production

Sphere of employment

Social structure

Human impact on nature

Political life
Spiritual life

Task 20. Read the text below, in which a number of words are missing.
Select from the list of words that need to be inserted in place
passes.
Reflection. Task 26. Give three characteristics of society, illustrating each of them
them with a concrete example.
Group 1: Industrial society
Group 2: Post-industrial (information) society
Group 3: Traditional society
III. Grading. Summarizing.
Homework
Write an essay

DZ Features of traditional society (economic development, place of man, political system, spiritual life, social mobility) Features of industrial society (-//-) Strengths and weaknesses of industrial society (written assignment)

Strengths and weaknesses of industrial society Rapid economic growth. Industrial development. Socio-historical progress. Development of science, technology and technology. Improving product quality. The emergence of international trade. Honesty, integrity and hard work are the main values ​​in society. Exploitation of natural resources to the detriment of the environment. Uneven growth and development of the economy. Job cuts, unemployment. High migration.

Politics Formation of civil society, rule of law, development of democracy Spiritual sphere Priority of science and education, cultural and ideological diversity, multivariance

2. East and West. Dialogue of cultures Analysis of the table The division of cultures into Western and Eastern implies: different geographical locations, different mentalities of the peoples inhabiting these territories (differences in the characteristics of ways and methods of understanding the world, scientific, religious, artistic, aesthetic and spiritual values, basic worldviews, socio-economic and political structures) “West”: the culture of America and Europe “East”: the cultures of the countries of Central, South. East Asia, North Africa, Middle East countries

Questions for table 1. What is the idea of ​​dialogue between the cultures of East and West in modern society? 2. Can the values ​​of the East be considered unique and alien to the West and vice versa? 3. Why is it difficult to unambiguously classify Russian civilization as an Eastern or Western civilization?

DZ – par. 11 -12 Written discussion on the topic “Dialogue of cultures of East and West in modern society” Plan: - How is the idea of ​​dialogue of cultures expressed? - Do you agree that it is present in modern civilization? - Give 3 examples of dialogue between cultures based on the realities of modern life (for example, from the news). The argument should be in the nature of a related text with a clear author’s position (essay).

Multivariate social development. Typology of societies

The life of each person and society as a whole is constantly changing. Not a single day or hour we live is similar to the previous ones. When do we say that a change has occurred? Then, when it is clear to us that one state is not equal to another and something new has appeared that did not exist before. How do all the changes occur and where are they directed?

At any given moment in time, a person and his associations are influenced by many factors, sometimes inconsistent with each other and multidirectional. Therefore, it is difficult to talk about any clear, distinct arrow-shaped line of development characteristic of society. Processes of change occur in complex, uneven ways, and their logic is sometimes difficult to grasp. The paths of social change are varied and winding.

We often come across such a concept as “social development”. Let's think about how change will generally differ from development? Which of these concepts is broader, and which is more specific (it can be included in another, considered as a special case of another)? It is obvious that not every change is development. But only that which involves complication, improvement and is associated with the manifestation of social progress.

What drives the development of society? What could be hidden behind each new stage? We should look for answers to these questions, first of all, in the system of complex social relations itself, in internal contradictions, conflicts of different interests.

Development impulses can come from society itself, its internal contradictions, and from the outside.

External impulses can be generated, in particular, by the natural environment and space. For example, climate change on our planet, the so-called “global warming,” has become a serious problem for modern society. The response to this “challenge” was the adoption by a number of countries of the world of the Kyoto Protocol, which requires reducing emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere. In 2004, Russia also ratified this protocol, committing itself to environmental protection.

If changes in society occur gradually, then new things accumulate in the system quite slowly and sometimes unnoticed by the observer. And the old, the previous, is the basis on which the new is grown, organically combining the traces of the previous. We do not feel conflict and denial of the old by the new. And only after some time has passed we exclaim in surprise: “How everything has changed around us!” We call such gradual progressive changes evolution. The evolutionary path of development does not imply a sharp break or destruction of previous social relations.

The external manifestation of evolution, the main way of its implementation is reform. Under reform we understand the action of power aimed at changing certain areas and aspects of social life in order to give society greater stability and stability.

The evolutionary path of development is not the only one. Not all societies could solve pressing problems through organic gradual transformations. In conditions of an acute crisis affecting all spheres of society, when accumulated contradictions literally explode the existing order, revolution. Any revolution taking place in society presupposes a qualitative transformation of social structures, the destruction of old orders and rapid innovation. A revolution releases significant social energy, which cannot always be controlled by the forces that initiated the revolutionary changes. It’s as if the ideologists and practitioners of the revolution are letting the “genie out of the bottle.” Subsequently, they try to drive this “genie” back, but this, as a rule, does not work. The revolutionary element begins to develop according to its own laws, often perplexing its creators.

That is why spontaneous, chaotic principles often prevail in the course of a social revolution. Sometimes revolutions bury those people who stood at their origins. Or the results and consequences of the revolutionary explosion differ so significantly from the original tasks that the creators of the revolution cannot help but admit their defeat. Revolutions give rise to a new quality, and it is important to be able to timely transfer further development processes into an evolutionary direction. In the 20th century, Russia experienced two revolutions. Particularly severe shocks befell our country in 1917–1920.

As history shows, many revolutions were replaced by reaction, a rollback to the past. We can talk about different types of revolutions in the development of society: social, technical, scientific, cultural.

The significance of revolutions is assessed differently by thinkers. For example, the German philosopher K. Marx, the founder of scientific communism, considered revolutions to be the “locomotives of history.” At the same time, many emphasized the destructive, destructive effect of revolutions on society. In particular, the Russian philosopher N.A. Berdyaev (1874–1948) wrote the following about the revolution: “All revolutions ended in reactions. This is inevitable. This is the law. And the more violent and violent the revolutions were, the stronger the reactions were. There is some kind of magic circle in the alternation of revolutions and reactions.”

Comparing the paths of transformation of society, the famous modern Russian historian P.V. Volobuev wrote: “The evolutionary form, firstly, made it possible to ensure the continuity of social development and thanks to this preserve all the accumulated wealth. Secondly, evolution, contrary to our primitive ideas, was accompanied by major qualitative changes in society, not only in productive forces and technology, but also in spiritual culture, in the way of life of people. Thirdly, to solve new social problems that arose in the course of evolution, it adopted such a method of social transformation as reforms, which, in their “costs,” turned out to be simply incomparable with the gigantic price of many revolutions. Ultimately, as historical experience has shown, evolution is capable of ensuring and maintaining social progress, also giving it a civilized form.”

Typology of societies

When distinguishing different types of societies, thinkers are based, on the one hand, on the chronological principle, noting changes that occur over time in the organization of social life. On the other hand, certain characteristics of societies coexisting with each other at the same time are grouped. This allows us to create a kind of horizontal cross-section of civilizations. Thus, speaking about traditional society as the basis for the formation of modern civilization, one cannot help but note the preservation of many of its features and characteristics in our days.

The most established approach in modern social science is the one based on identifying three types of societies: traditional (pre-industrial), industrial, post-industrial (sometimes called technological or information). This approach is based largely on a vertical, chronological section, i.e. it assumes the replacement of one society by another in the course of historical development. What this approach has in common with the theory of K. Marx is that it is based primarily on the distinction of technical and technological features.

What are the characteristic features and characteristics of each of these societies? Let's look at the characteristics traditional society- the foundations of the formation of the modern world. An ancient and medieval society is primarily called traditional, although many of its features are preserved in later times. For example, the countries of the East, Asia, and Africa retain signs of traditional civilization today.

So, what are the main features and characteristics of a traditional type of society?

In the very understanding of traditional society, it is necessary to note the focus on reproducing in an unchanged form methods of human activity, interactions, forms of communication, organization of life, and cultural patterns. That is, in this society, the relationships that have developed between people, working practices, family values, and way of life are diligently respected.

A person in a traditional society is bound by a complex system of dependence on the community and the state. His behavior is strictly regulated by the norms accepted in the family, class, and society as a whole.

Traditional society distinguished by the predominance of agriculture in the structure of the economy, the majority of the population is employed in the agricultural sector, working on the land, living from its fruits. Land is considered the main wealth, and the basis for the reproduction of society is what is produced on it. Mainly hand tools (plow, plow) are used; the updating of equipment and production technology occurs quite slowly.

The main element of the structure of traditional societies is the agricultural community: a collective that manages the land. The individual in such a group is poorly identified, its interests are not clearly identified. The community, on the one hand, will limit the person, on the other, provide him with protection and stability. The most severe punishment in such a society was often considered expulsion from the community, “deprivation of shelter and water.” Society has a hierarchical structure, often divided into classes according to political and legal principles.

A feature of traditional society is its closedness to innovation and the extremely slow nature of change. And these changes themselves are not considered as a value. More important is stability, sustainability, following the commandments of our ancestors. Any innovation is considered as a threat to the existing world order, and the attitude towards it is extremely wary. “The traditions of all dead generations loom like a nightmare over the minds of the living.”

The Czech teacher J. Korczak noted the dogmatic way of life inherent in traditional society: “Prudence to the point of complete passivity, to the point of ignoring all rights and rules that have not become traditional, not sanctified by authorities, not rooted by repetition day after day... Everything can become dogma - including the earth , and the church, and the fatherland, and virtue, and sin; could be science, social and political activity, wealth, any confrontation..."

A traditional society will diligently protect its behavioral norms and the standards of its culture from outside influences from other societies and cultures. An example of such “closedness” is the centuries-old development of China and Japan, which were characterized by a closed, self-sufficient existence and any contacts with foreigners were practically excluded by the authorities. The state and religion play a significant role in the history of traditional societies.

Of course, as trade, economic, military, political, cultural and other contacts between different countries and peoples develop, such “closedness” will be broken, often in a very painful way for these countries. Traditional societies, under the influence of the development of technology, technology, and means of communication, will enter a period of modernization.

Of course, this is a generalized picture of traditional society. More precisely, we can talk about traditional society as a certain cumulative phenomenon, including the features of the development of different peoples at a certain stage. There are many different traditional societies (Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Western European, Russian, etc.), bearing the imprint of their culture.

We understand perfectly well that the societies of ancient Greece and the Old Babylonian kingdom differ significantly in the dominant forms of ownership, the degree of influence of communal structures and the state. If in Greece and Rome private property and the beginnings of civil rights and freedoms are developing, then in societies of the eastern type there are strong traditions of despotic rule, the suppression of man by the agricultural community, and the collective nature of labor. Nevertheless, both are different versions of traditional society.

The long-term preservation of the agricultural community, the predominance of agriculture in the structure of the economy, the peasantry in the population, the joint labor and collective land use of communal peasants, and autocratic power allow us to characterize Russian society over many centuries of its development as traditional. Transition to a new type of society - industrial- will be implemented quite late - only in the second half of the 19th century.

It cannot be said that traditional society is a bygone stage, that everything associated with traditional structures, norms, and consciousness is a thing of the distant past. Moreover, by thinking this way, we make it difficult for ourselves to understand many problems and phenomena of our contemporary world. And today, a number of societies retain the features of traditionalism, primarily in culture, public consciousness, political system, and everyday life.

The transition from a traditional society, devoid of dynamism, to an industrial-type society reflects such a concept as modernization.

Industrial society born as a result of the industrial revolution, leading to the development of large-scale industry, new types of transport and communications, a decrease in the role of agriculture in the structure of the economy and the relocation of people to cities.

The Modern Dictionary of Philosophy, published in 1998 in London, contains the following definition of industrial society:

An industrial society is characterized by the orientation of people toward ever-increasing volumes of production, consumption, knowledge, etc. The ideas of growth and progress are the “core” of the industrial myth, or ideology. The concept of the machine plays a significant role in the social organization of industrial society. The consequence of the implementation of ideas about the machine is the extensive development of production, as well as the “mechanization” of social relations, human relations with nature... The boundaries of the development of industrial society are revealed as the limits of extensively oriented production are discovered.

Earlier than others, the industrial revolution swept the countries of Western Europe. The first country to implement it was Great Britain. By the middle of the 19th century, the vast majority of its population was employed in industry. Industrial society is characterized by rapid dynamic changes, increased social mobility, and urbanization - the process of growth and development of cities. Contacts and connections between countries and peoples are expanding. These communications are carried out through telegraphic messages and telephones. The structure of society is also changing: it is based not on estates, but on social groups that differ in their place in the economic system - classes. Along with changes in the economy and social sphere, the political system of industrial society is also changing - parliamentarism, a multi-party system are developing, and the rights and freedoms of citizens are expanding. Many researchers believe that the formation of a civil society that is aware of its interests and acts as a full partner of the state is also associated with the formation of an industrial society. To a certain extent, it is precisely this society that is called capitalist. The early stages of its development were analyzed in the 19th century by English scientists J. Mill, A. Smith, and the German philosopher K. Marx.

At the same time, during the era of the industrial revolution, there is an increase in unevenness in the development of different regions of the world, which leads to colonial wars, conquests, and the enslavement of weak countries by strong ones.

Russian society entered the period of the industrial revolution quite late, only in the 40s of the 19th century, and the formation of the foundations of an industrial society in Russia was noted only at the beginning of the 20th century. Many historians believe that at the beginning of the 20th century our country was an agrarian-industrial one. Russia was unable to complete industrialization in the pre-revolutionary period. Although this is exactly what the reforms carried out on the initiative of S. Yu. Witte and P. A. Stolypin were aimed at.

Towards the completion of industrialization, that is, to the creation of a powerful industry that would make the main contribution to the national wealth of the country, the authorities returned to the Soviet period of history.

We know the concept of “Stalinist industrialization,” which occurred in the 1930s and 1940s. In the shortest possible time, at an accelerated pace, using primarily the funds obtained from the robbery of the countryside and the mass collectivization of peasant farms, by the end of the 1930s our country created the foundations of heavy and military industry, mechanical engineering and ceased to depend on the supply of equipment from abroad. But did this mean the end of the industrialization process? Historians argue. Some researchers believe that even at the end of the 1930s, the main share of national wealth was still formed in the agricultural sector, that is, agriculture produced more product than industry.

Therefore, experts believe that industrialization in the Soviet Union ended only after the Great Patriotic War, in the mid- to second half of the 1950s. By this time, industry had taken a leading position in the production of gross domestic product. Also, most of the country's population found itself employed in the industrial sector.

The second half of the 20th century was marked by the rapid development of fundamental science, engineering and technology. Science is turning into an immediate powerful economic force.

The rapid changes that have engulfed a number of spheres of life in modern society have made it possible to talk about the world entering into post-industrial era. In the 1960s, this term was first proposed by the American sociologist D. Bell. He also formulated main features of post-industrial society: creation of a vast service economy, increasing the layer of qualified scientific and technical specialists, the central role of scientific knowledge as a source of innovation, ensuring technological growth, creating a new generation of intellectual technology. Following Bell, the theory of post-industrial society was developed by American scientists J. Gal Breit and O. Toffler.

basis post-industrial society was the structural restructuring of the economy carried out in Western countries at the turn of the 1960s - 1970s. Instead of heavy industry, leading positions in the economy were taken by knowledge-intensive industries, the “knowledge industry.” The symbol of this era, its basis is the microprocessor revolution, the mass distribution of personal computers, information technology, and electronic communications. The pace of economic development and the speed of transmission of information and financial flows over distances are increasing manifold. With the entry of the world into the post-industrial, information era, there is a decrease in the employment of people in industry, transport, and industrial sectors, and vice versa, the number of people employed in the service sector and in the information sector is increasing. It is no coincidence that a number of scientists call post-industrial society informational or technological.

Characterizing modern society, American researcher P. Drucker notes: “Today knowledge is already being applied to the sphere of knowledge itself, and this can be called a revolution in the field of management. Knowledge is quickly becoming the determining factor of production, relegating both capital and labor to the background.”

Scientists studying the development of culture and spiritual life, in relation to the post-industrial world, introduce another name - postmodern era. (By the era of modernism, scientists understand industrial society. - Author's note.) If the concept of post-industriality mainly emphasizes differences in the sphere of economics, production, and methods of communication, then postmodernism covers primarily the sphere of consciousness, culture, and patterns of behavior.

The new perception of the world, according to scientists, is based on three main features.

Firstly, at the end of faith in the capabilities of the human mind, a skeptical questioning of everything that European culture traditionally considers rational. Secondly, on the collapse of the idea of ​​unity and universality of the world. The postmodern understanding of the world is built on multiplicity, pluralism, and the absence of common models and canons for the development of different cultures. Thirdly: the era of postmodernism views personality differently, “the individual, as responsible for shaping the world, resigns, he is outdated, he is recognized as associated with the prejudices of rationalism and is discarded.” The sphere of communication between people, communications, and collective agreements comes to the fore.

Scientists name increasing pluralism, multivariance and variety of forms of social development, changes in the system of values, motives and incentives of people as the main features of postmodern society.

The approach we have chosen summarizes the main milestones in human development, focusing primarily on the history of Western European countries. Thus, it significantly narrows the possibility of studying the specific features and development features of individual countries. He pays attention primarily to universal processes, and much remains outside the field of view of scientists. In addition, willy-nilly, we take for granted the point of view that there are countries that have jumped ahead, there are those that are successfully catching up with them, and those that are hopelessly behind, not having time to jump into the last carriage of the modernization machine rushing forward. Ideologists of modernization theory are convinced that the values ​​and development models of Western society are universal and are a guideline for development and a role model for everyone.

Society structure

Social institutions:

• organize human activity into a certain system of roles and statuses, establishing patterns of human behavior in various spheres of public life;
• include a system of sanctions - from legal to moral and ethical;
• organize, coordinate many individual actions of people, give them an organized and predictable character;
• provide standard behavior of people in socially typical situations.

Society as a complex, self-developing system is characterized by the following specific features:

1. It is distinguished by a wide variety of different social structures and subsystems.
2. Society is not only people, but also the social relations that arise between them, between spheres (subsystems) and their institutions. Social relations are diverse forms of interaction between people, as well as connections that arise between different social groups (or within them).
3. Society is capable of creating and reproducing the necessary conditions for its own existence.
4. Society is a dynamic system, characterized by the emergence and development of new phenomena, obsolescence and death of old elements, as well as incompleteness and alternative development. The choice of development options is made by a person.
5. Society is characterized by unpredictability and nonlinear development.
6. Functions of the society:
   – human reproduction and socialization;
   – production of material goods and services;
   – distribution of labor products (activities);
   – regulation and management of activities and behavior;
   – spiritual production.

The structure of the socio-economic formation

Productive forces- these are means of production and people with production experience and labor skills.
Relations of production- relationships between people that develop during the production process.
Type add-ons mainly determined by character basis. It also represents the basis of the formation, determining the affiliation of a particular society.
The authors of the approach highlighted five socio-economic formations:

1. primitive communal;
2. slaveholding;
3. feudal;
4. capitalist;
5. communist.

Selection criterion socio-economic formations is production activities of people, the nature of labor and methods of inclusion in the production process(natural necessity, non-economic coercion, economic coercion, labor becomes a personal need).
Driving force for development society is the class struggle. The transition from one socio-economic formation to another is carried out as a result of social revolutions.

Strengths of this approach:

– it is universal: almost all peoples went through the indicated stages in their development (to one degree or another);
– it allows you to compare the levels of development of different peoples in different historical periods;
– it allows you to track social progress.

Weak sides:

– does not take into account the specific conditions and characteristics of individual peoples;
– pays more attention to the economic sphere of society, subordinating all others to it.

Stage-civilizational approach (W. Rostow, Toffler)
This approach is based on the understanding of civilization as a stage in the process of progressive development of humanity, in its ascent along the ladder leading upward to a single world civilization.
Proponents of this approach distinguish three types of civilizations: traditional, industrial, post-industrial (or information society).

Characteristics of the main types of civilizations

Criteria for comparison	Traditional (agrarian) society	Industrial (Western) society	Post-industrial (information) society
Features of the historical process	Long, slow evolutionary development, lack of obvious boundaries between eras	Sharp, spasmodic, revolutionary development, the boundaries between eras are obvious	Evolutionary development of society, revolutions only in the scientific and technical sphere, globalization of all spheres of public life
Relations between society and nature	Harmonious relationships without destructive effects, the desire to adapt to nature	The desire to dominate nature, active transformative activities, the emergence of a global environmental problem	Awareness of the essence of the global environmental problem, attempts to solve it, the desire to create the noosphere - the “sphere of the mind”
Features of economic development	The leading sector is the agricultural sector, the main means of production is land, it is in communal ownership or incomplete private ownership, since the supreme owner is the ruler	Industry predominates; the main means of production is capital, which is privately owned.	The service sector and information production predominate, global economic integration, the creation of transnational corporations
Social structure of society	Rigid closed caste or class system, low or no level of social mobility	Open class social structure, high level of social mobility	Open social structure, stratification of society by income level, education, professional characteristics, high level of social mobility
Features of the political system, regulation of social relations	The predominance of monarchical forms of government; the main regulators of social relations are customs, traditions, and religious norms	The predominance of republican forms of government, the creation of a rule of law, the main regulator of social relations is law
Position of the individual in society	The individual is absorbed by the community and the state, the dominance of collectivist values	Individualism, personal freedom

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.

Today, industrial society is a concept familiar in all developed and even many developing countries of the world. The process of transition to mechanical production, the decline in the profitability of agriculture, the growth of cities and a clear division of labor - all these are the main features of the process that is changing the socio-economic structure of the state.

What is an industrial society?

In addition to production characteristics, this society is distinguished by a high standard of living, the development of civil rights and freedoms, the emergence of service activities, accessible information and humane economic relations. Previous traditional socio-economic models were characterized by a relatively low average standard of living of the population.

Industrial society is considered modern; both technical and social components are developing very quickly in it, affecting the improvement of the quality of life in general.

Main differences

The main difference between a traditional agrarian society and a modern one is the growth of industry, the need for modernized, accelerated and efficient production and the division of labor.

The main reasons for the division of labor and mass production can be considered both economic - the financial benefits of mechanization, and social - population growth and increased demand for goods.

Industrial society is characterized not only by the growth of industrial production, but also by the systematization and flow of agricultural activities. Moreover, in any country and in any society, the process of industrial reconstruction is accompanied by the development of science, technology, media and civic responsibility.

Changing the structure of society

Today, many developing countries are characterized by a particularly accelerated process of transition from a traditional society to an industrial one. The process of globalization and free information space play a significant role in changing socio-economic structures. New technologies and scientific advances make it possible to improve production processes, which makes a number of industries especially efficient.

Processes of globalization and international cooperation and regulation are also influencing changes in social charters. Industrial society is characterized by a completely different worldview, when the expansion of rights and freedoms is perceived not as a concession, but as something for granted. In combination, such changes allow the state to become part of the world market both from an economic and socio-political point of view.

Main features and characteristics of industrial society

The main characteristics can be divided into three groups: production, economic and social.

The main production features and characteristics of an industrial society are as follows:

• mechanization of production;
• labor reorganization;
• division of labor;
• productivity increase.

Among the economic characteristics it is necessary to highlight:

• growing influence of private production;
• emergence of a market for competitive goods;
• expansion of sales markets.

The main economic feature of an industrial society is uneven economic development. Crisis, inflation, decline in production - all these are frequent phenomena in the economy of an industrial state. The Industrial Revolution does not guarantee stability.

The main feature of industrial society in terms of its social development is a change in values ​​and worldview, which is influenced by:

• development and accessibility of education;
• improving quality of life;
• popularization of culture and art;
• urbanization;
• expansion of human rights and freedoms.

It is worth noting that industrial society is also characterized by reckless exploitation of natural resources, including irreplaceable ones, and almost complete disregard for the environment.

Historical background

In addition to economic benefits and population growth, the industrial development of society was due to a number of other reasons. In traditional states, most people were able to provide themselves with a means of subsistence, and that’s all. Only a few could afford comfort, education and pleasure. Agrarian society was forced to move to agrarian-industrial society. This transition allowed for increased production. However, the agrarian-industrial society was characterized by the inhumane attitude of owners towards workers and a low level of mechanization of production.

Pre-industrial socio-economic models were based on one form or another of the slave system, which indicated the absence of universal freedoms and a low average standard of living of the population.

Industrial Revolution

The transition to an industrial society began during the Industrial Revolution. It was this period, the 18th-19th centuries, that was responsible for the transition from manual labor to mechanized labor. The beginning and middle of the 19th century became the apogee of industrialization in a number of leading world powers.

During the industrial revolution, the main features of the modern state took shape, such as production growth, urbanization, economic growth and the capitalist model of social development.

The industrial revolution is usually associated with the growth of machine production and intensive technological development, but it was during this period that the main socio-political changes took place that influenced the formation of a new society.

Industrialization

There are three main sectors in both the global and national economies:

• Primary - resource extraction and agriculture.
• Secondary - processing resources and creating food products.
• Tertiary - service sector.

Traditional social structures were based on the superiority of the primary sector. Subsequently, during the transition period, the secondary sector began to catch up with the primary sector, and the service sector began to grow. Industrialization consists of expanding the secondary sector of the economy.

This process took place in world history in two stages: the technical revolution, which included the creation of mechanized factories and the abandonment of manufacturing, and the modernization of devices - the invention of the conveyor, electrical appliances and engines.

Urbanization

In the modern understanding, urbanization is the increase in the population of large cities due to migration from rural areas. However, the transition to an industrial society was characterized by a broader interpretation of the concept.

Cities became not only places of work and migration, but also cultural and economic centers. It was the cities that became the boundary of the true division of labor - territorial.

The future of industrial society

Today in developed countries there is a transition from a modern industrial society to a post-industrial one. There is a change in the values ​​and criteria of human capital.

The engine of post-industrial society and its economy should be the knowledge industry. Therefore, scientific discoveries and technological developments of the new generation play an important role in many countries. Professionals with a high level of education, good learning ability, and creative thinking are considered valuable working capital. The dominant sector of the traditional economy will be the tertiary sector, that is, the service sector.