Characteristic features of the development of a traditional society. §26

Society is a complex natural-historical structure, the elements of which are people. Their connections and relationships are due to a certain social status, the functions and roles they perform, the norms and values ​​generally accepted in this 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, foundations, examples, etc.).

What it is?

A modern industrialist who is new to history and the social sciences 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 most of its history, mankind was at this stage.

Traditional society, the definition of which is considered in this article, is a collection of groups of people standing at different stages of development and not having a mature industrial complex. The determining factor in the development of such social units is agriculture.

Characteristics of a traditional society

Traditional society is characterized by following features:

1. Low rates of production, meeting the needs of people at a minimum level.
2. High energy intensity.
3. Rejection of innovations.
4. Strict regulation and control of people's behavior, social structures, institutions, customs.
5. As a rule, in a traditional society, any manifestation of personal freedom is prohibited.
6. Social formations, consecrated by tradition, 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 with a plow and draft animals. Thus, the same piece of land could be cultivated several times, resulting in permanent settlements.

The traditional society is also characterized by the predominant use of manual labor, 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 usually collective. Any manifestation of individualism is not perceived and denied by society, and is also considered dangerous, since it violates the established order and traditional balance. There is no impetus for the development of science, culture, therefore extensive technologies are used in all areas.

Political structure

The political sphere in such a society is characterized by an authoritarian power that is inherited. This is due to the fact that only in this way can traditions be maintained. long time... The system of government in such a society was rather primitive (hereditary power was in the hands of the elders). The people had virtually no influence on politics.

Often there is the idea of ​​the divine origin of the person in whose hands the power was. In this regard, politics is in fact completely subordinated to religion and is carried out only according to sacred precepts. The combination of secular and spiritual power made possible the increasing subordination of people to the state. This, in turn, strengthened the resilience of society. traditional type.

Social relationships

In the sphere social relations the following features of a traditional society can be distinguished:

1. Patriarchal structure.
2. The main goal the functioning of such a society is the maintenance of human life and the avoidance of its extinction as a species.
3. Low level
4. The traditional society is characterized by division into estates. Each of them played a different social role.

5. Assessment of personality 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 attitudes, imparted from childhood. Certain rituals and dogmas were an integral part of human life. Writing did not exist in traditional society. That is why all legends and traditions were transmitted orally.

Relationship with nature and the outside world

The influence of traditional society on nature was primitive and insignificant. This was due to the low-waste production represented by cattle breeding and agriculture. Also in some societies there were certain religious rules condemning the pollution of nature.

In relation to the surrounding world, it was closed. Traditional society did its best to protect itself from outside intrusions and any external influence. As a result, a person perceived life as static and unchanging. Qualitative changes in such societies took place very slowly, and revolutionary shifts were perceived extremely painfully.

Traditional and industrial society: differences

Industrial society emerged 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 different mechanisms. This made mass production possible.
3. Another important distinctive feature- 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, there is no mass production.

The post-industrial society should also be highlighted. Traditional, by contrast, aims at prey natural resources rather than collecting and storing information.

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, one should highlight India, China, Japan, the Ottoman Empire.

Since ancient times, China has been distinguished by its strong state power... By the nature of evolution, this society is cyclical. China is characterized by the constant alternation of several eras (development, crisis, social explosion). The unity of spiritual and religious authority in this country should also be noted. 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 and in also allows us to say that a traditional society existed here, the definition of which is considered in this article. The entire population of the Country rising sun was divided into 4 estates. The first is samurai, daimyo and shogun (personified the highest secular power). They occupied a privileged position and had the right to bear arms. The second estate - peasants who owned land as a hereditary holding. The third is the artisans and the fourth is the merchants. It should be noted that trade in Japan was considered an unworthy business. It is also worth highlighting the strict regulation of each of the estates.

Unlike other traditional eastern countries, in Japan there was no unity of the supreme secular and spiritual power. The first was personified by the shogun. In his hands was most of the land and tremendous power. There was also an emperor (tenno) in Japan. He was the personification of spiritual authority.

India

Vivid examples of traditional society can be found in India throughout the history of the country. The Mughal Empire, located on the Hindustan Peninsula, was based on the military-fief and caste system... The supreme ruler - padishah - was the main owner of all land in the state. Indian society was strictly divided into castes, whose life was strictly regulated by laws and sacred precepts.

Traditional, industrial and post-industrial societies have been distinguished in concepts based on technological determinism. These concepts were developed by the French sociologist Raymon Aron (1905 - 1983), American sociologists Daniel Bell (born 1919) and Alvin Toffler (born 1928).

Technological determinism is understood as a set of ideas united by the postulate about the decisive role of technology in social development... Technological determinism presupposes not only that technology is a special world independent of man, that it develops infinitely according to its own laws, but also that it dominates man and society, dictating its will to them and determining their prospects.

A traditional society is a pre-capitalist agrarian society. The economy of this society is characterized by manual labor with a relatively simple and stable division of labor, which is first based on natural gender and age differences, differences in natural working conditions (cattle breeding, agriculture, etc.), and then on increasingly differentiated social functions (trade, management, army, etc.). Man, as the main productive force in this society, had access to land only through the clan, community or the feudal hierarchy of rulers, which excluded the formation of a free personality, i.e. a person who freely disposes of his labor and property according to the laws of the market.

The method of socio-cultural regulation of traditional society is based on traditions, i.e. on cultural patterns, customs, methods of action, norms of behavior transmitted from generation to generation, which penetrated widely into all spheres of society and determined its structural stability and inactivity (caste, estate).

According to the developers of the considered concepts, the most significant historical changes in modern world associated with the transition from traditional agrarian societies to industrial ones. Industrial society (industrial) arises on the basis of machine production, factory organization and labor discipline, national! systems of economy with free trade and a common market. From the point of view of theorists of industrial society, capitalism is early form of the given society. It is characterized by the fact that industrial production is in private hands, where the entrepreneur is both the owner and the main subject of management of the labor process and employees. As an industry grows in size, ownership of capital does not guarantee control over systems of power and authority in enterprises. The role of managers - administrators is gradually increasing.

The transformation of the social structure is accompanied by the establishment of a civil society, pluralistic democracy, gives rise to the processes of various social movements. If in the early stages of its development industrial society is characterized by acute class conflicts, then later, through the establishment of generally accepted forms of labor agreements, collective agreements, they are smoothed out. In general, a consensus is established (from the Latin consensus - agreement, unanimity) on the basic values ​​of the social order. Technology comes to the fore - rational aspects of the functioning of society, based on the priority of science. The more highly industrialized societies are, the more they gravitate towards the uniformity of the industrial order. Industrial society is dominated by mass production and consumption.

The development of the system of ideas of industrial society was the theory of post-industrial society. Postindustrial society, according to the above-mentioned sociologists, is being formed in developed countries in the second half of the 20th century. It is characterized by the predominance of the so-called tertiary sector. Most of economic activity moves from the primary (agriculture) and secondary (industry) sectors to the tertiary (services, transport, banks, insurance, liberal professions, etc.). With the progress of technology and automation, a typical worker in post-industrial society is becoming a "white", not a "blue collar" (English, white collar-blue collar - "terms used in the framework of the theory of social stratification, to designate workers, respectively, intellectual, non-physical labor - and labor, directly related to the maintenance of equipment, the provision of services, as well as physical labor).

In the conditions of a post-industrial society, the educational system is expanding unprecedentedly (a longer period of study, continuous education, etc.) Science, education, information have played a decisive role in the transformation of an industrial into a post-industrial society. Post-industrial technology is making a fundamental change in social structure society. Property does not disappear, however, as the basis for dividing people into classes, layers, property loses its significance. The class structure is being replaced by the professional structure.

An information civilization is the prospect for the development of a post-industrial society. Intelligent technological systems lead to a fundamentally new state of society - to global hyperintelligence (data and knowledge industries). Computer science and computer skills are becoming a second literacy. Technological determinism is being transformed in the concept of technocracy: the central in them is the idea of ​​the possibility of power based on knowledge, competence, of the possibility of replacing a political decision with a rational technical solution.

The developers of the concept of post-industrial society noted that in its conditions there are qualitative shifts in needs, motivations of social behavior and values. For a person, more and more priority will be given to values ​​such as autonomy and self-expression of the individual, free time and leisure. At the same time, as scientific - technical revolution, predicted and serious conflicts that will take place in a given society: between knowledge and incompetence, between managers and governed and other social contradictions.

V scientific literature, for example, in sociological dictionaries and textbooks, there are different definitions concepts of traditional society. After analyzing them, one can single out the fundamental and determining factors in identifying the type of traditional society. Such factors are: the dominant place of agriculture in society, not subject to dynamic changes, the presence of social structures of different stages of development that do not have a mature industrial complex, opposition to the modern one, the dominance of agriculture in it and low rates of development.

Traits of a traditional society

Traditional society is an agrarian-type society, therefore it is characterized by manual labor, division of labor according to working conditions and social functions, regulation public life based on tradition.

A unified and accurate concept of traditional society in sociological science does not exist due to the fact that broad interpretations of the term "" allow attributing to this type social structures that differ significantly in their characteristics from each other, for example, tribal and feudal society.

According to the American sociologist Daniel Bell, traditional society is characterized by a lack of statehood, a predominance of traditional values ​​and a patriarchal way of life. Traditional society is the first in terms of formation and arises with the emergence of society in general. In the periodization of the history of mankind, this takes the largest time period. It distinguishes several types of societies according to historical eras: primitive society, slave-owning ancient society and medieval feudal society.

In a traditional society, as opposed to an industrial and postindustrial societies, man is entirely dependent on the forces of nature. Industrial production in such a society is absent or takes a minimal share, because the traditional society is not aimed at the production of consumer goods and there are religious prohibitions on environmental pollution. The main thing in a traditional society is to maintain the existence of a person as a species. The development of such a society is associated with the extensive spread of mankind and the collection of natural resources from large territories. The main relations in such a society are between man and nature.

1. What are the characteristics of a traditional society?

A traditional society is characterized, first of all, by the predominance of agricultural production. In such a society, cities exist, but their role in the overall economy is not significant. Traditional society is not subject to change. And although they have been visible over the centuries, for the life of one generation, everything basically remains unchanged. The main features of traditional society are:

The predominantly agrarian nature of the economy;

Estates organization;

Relative stability of the structure of society;

Low or relatively low social mobility.

2. What is modernization? What spheres of life of European society did it touch on in the first place? Why?

Modernization is a process of transition from a traditional society to an industrial one, to a capitalist civilization capable of rapid change and adaptation. Literally translated, this word means "renewal", this phenomenon has brought innovations in all areas human life and activities. Primary in this sense were changes in the economy associated with the growth of trade and production, because they gave rise to new needs in society. However, these changes could not lead to anything without support in the spiritual sphere. And the economic successes themselves could be achieved only due to the fact that some barriers in the worldview of people in Europe had already been removed by previous centuries of development.

3. What points of view on the periodization of the history of the New Time do you know?

According to the supporters of the theory of "stages of growth", the New era begins with the emergence of an industrial society, that is, with the beginning of the industrial revolution, and ends with the transition to a post-industrial one. Therefore, the supporters of this theory (O. Toffler, Z. Brzezinski) believe that this period of history began at the end of the 18th century. and lasted until the 1970s.

Traditional Marxist historiography linked the advent of the New Age with the time when capitalism, albeit pre-industrial, was sufficiently consolidated in society. Therefore, Soviet historiography began this period with the English bourgeois revolution of the middle of the 17th century. Wherein end of XVIII v. (French bourgeois and industrial revolutions) were considered the borderline between the two sub-periods of modern times.

According to the civilizational approach (the theory of K. Jaspers, for example) New time begins when, instead of local civilizations, a global one begins to take shape. This has been happening since the Great Ones geographical discoveries that made all the rest of the world known to Europe and began to tie them.

Modern historiography as a whole is based on the Marxist division, but it also includes a civilizational approach, therefore it includes two of its subperiods, and considers the time from the beginning of the Great Geographical Discoveries to the English Revolution to be transitional, albeit belonging to modern times.

4. What factors and events determined the crisis of traditional society in Europe? Describe the significance of the Hussite movement in the Czech Republic.

A crisis medieval society in Europe identified:

Plague epidemics and related spiritual crisis;

Changes in economic life associated with plague epidemics and the demographic changes caused by them;

Proto-Reformation Hussite Movement in the Czech Republic.

The Hussite movement played special role in the crisis of medieval European society. A new time has come with the arrival of not only the Great Geographical Discoveries, but also the Reformation. It was confessional dualism that largely determined the appearance of modern European society. The Hussite movement was the forerunner of the Reformation. It put forward in many respects the same ideas, its followers in the XVI century. organically joined the reformation movement. The main difference lies in the locality of the Hussites - their ideas did not spread beyond the Czech Republic. According to some researchers, the decisive role was played by the not yet invented in the first half of the 15th century. printing press: the Hussites did not yet have the means to convey their ideas to a pan-European audience.

5. What are the main features of the worldview of a person of the Renaissance.

Main features:

Interest in the personality of a person, his individuality and activities, especially creativity;

Admiration for all manifestations of antiquity (only in the Renaissance did the collection of any antique inscriptions spread, regardless of content);

The desire to imitate antiquity, not blindly copying, but following its spirit, as the Renaissance figures understood it

Attention to the beauty of nature and especially the human body, the desire to reproduce it.

Let's read the information.

Characteristics of a traditional society

Sphere of public life	Feature
Economic	Dependence on natural and climatic conditions. Agrarian character of the economy. Use of extensive technology. Collective forms of ownership.
Political	The form of government is despotism. Complete dismissalperson from politics. Power is inherited, the source of power is God's will.
Social	Compliance with strict. Lack of social mobility. Relationships - customs and traditions. Dependence of the position of the individualfrom social status.
Spiritual	Deep religiosity. The prevalence of oral information over written. Reflection religious dogmas in culture.

Let's look at some examples.

Traditional society	Example
	1.Country in North Africa (Algeria). They cultivate mainly cereals, grapes, vegetables, and fruits. 95% of export earnings come from oil and gas sales.
	2.Country in northeast Africa (Ethiopia). Share in GDP (%): industry - 12, agriculture - 54. The main branch of agriculture is crop production.
	3. A country in Southeast Asia, on the Indochina Peninsula (Vietnam). About 90% of the population is concentrated in the valleys of the Hongha and Mekong rivers, on the coastal plains, where the density exceeds 1000 people. for 1 km2 ... The rural population is 79%. Agriculture employs 75% of the workforce. The main crop is rice. In terms of rice exports, the country is in 4th place in the world.

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