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Modern society needs human life. Societies in the modern world

When characterizing modern society, a number of concepts are used - civil society, post-industrial society and global society. These concepts reflect a certain specificity of his condition and social relationships in him.

In one meaning civil society denotes a set of non-state and non-political relations. In this sense it includes:

A) communities of people formed on the basis of their goodwill and consent (family, public organizations, religious, sports and other associations, business corporations);

b) relations between components of society that are non-political in nature (family ties, professional, economic, religious and other relations);

V) a special space for the free expression of people, which is protected from interference by the state and other forces.

In the second meaning, civil society is understood as an ideal, implying maximum social, political, economic freedoms for its members: a variety of forms of ownership, a free market, freedom of speech, etc. The concept of civil society does not so much describe the structure of actually existing societies, but acts as a kind of social reference point, an ideal model that integrates generally accepted social values ​​and principles of social life. Consequently, the main role of this concept is normative and orientational. At the same time, many authors believe that the degree of development of civil society is still very low.

In other words, civil society - This a system of non-political relationships and relationships between people in their everyday lives.

His characteristic signs:

· guarantees of maximum realization of inalienable human rights and freedoms;

· (relative) autonomy of the citizen and society as a whole from state power;

· voluntary delegation by citizens of some part of their rights to the state, subject to effective democratic control of society over the apparatus of power;

· public structures of self-government;

· constitutionalism and the rule of law;

· political, economic and ideological pluralism.

The foundations of the concept of civil society were laid in the works of T. Hobbes, J. Locke and S.-L. Montesquieu. In the works of these thinkers, the concept of natural law, that is, the natural desire of man for freedom, security and well-being, played an important role. However, natural law prevented the unification of people, therefore, as a result of a social contract, a state arose, to which citizens transferred part of their rights. A. Smith supplemented this concept with an emphasis on the extreme importance of protecting private interests, when the state creates convenient conditions for the realization of the interests of private individuals (renunciation of control over the economic sphere, protection of private property).


G. Hegel played a significant role in the development of the theory of civil society. He described civil society as a complex set of individuals, institutions, social groups and classes, the interaction between which is regulated by civil law, independent of the state. Such a society is a logical stage in the development of social relations. He believed that since civil society develops spontaneously, some elements in it can receive the strongest development, while others will remain underdeveloped. For this reason, such a society can exist provided it is “under the care” of the state, because it is able to overcome the injustice that inevitably arises in society.

In the 20th century the idea of ​​civil society became relevant. It was during this period that humanity faced both cruel totalitarian regimes and the problem of personal autonomy in economic and spiritual life. Therefore, the prevailing view now is the liberal point of view, according to which the center of the concept of civil society is (1) freedom as the highest value and (2) self-regulation of society as a condition for the realization of rights and freedoms. Proponents of this approach focus their attention on the destructive energy of the state, which has a destructive effect on institutions such as the family, church, professional and local associations. At the same time, social problems are solved by society itself. And for this purpose, various civil society institutions are created: trade unions, cooperation, cultural and educational societies, charitable organizations, public local governments, communities and national diasporas, human rights associations, pressure groups, children's and youth public organizations, etc.

In recent decades, the idea of ​​civil society has expanded, complemented by the idea of ​​democracy based on political pluralism, consensus and partnership between competing social groups; the idea of ​​limiting state power by legal norms; the idea of ​​expanding democracy in social terms, etc. The theory of pluralism has become widespread, according to which the main task of a modern democratic state is to achieve a general civil consensus by taking into account and coordinating the many interests of various groups, removing or mitigating contradictions. As T. Parsons notes, “in differentiating [from society], the state tends to focus on two main functional complexes. The first covers the responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the societal community in the face of global threats... The second complex includes all types of executive activities of the state, which are associated with collective action in any situations indicating the need for some measures in the “public” interests.”

As we see, civil society reflects a state of sociopolitical space in which democratic procedures, broad personal rights and freedoms, stable social ties, plurality and, at the same time, integration of diverse interests prevail. This ensures the integrity of society and the harmonization of social interactions.

If civil society places the socio-political side of relations at the center of attention, then concept of post-industrial society characterizes modern society through the socio-economic changes that occurred in the second half of the twentieth century.

American sociologist D. Bell pointed out a number of significant points indicating the transition of modern society to the post-industrial stage of development.

1. In the process of formation of post-industrial society, there is a transition from an economic model of development to a social model, reflecting the need for humanization, stabilization and harmonization of all existing social relations.

2. This is manifested in the fact that economic motivation exhausts itself due to the achievement of a level of well-being that satisfies the majority of people. They develop an understanding that there is not only personal wealth, but also social wealth (for example, a clean environment), stimulating the search for ways to increase the social form of wealth. As a result, there is even more conflict, and resolving these conflicts becomes an increasingly difficult task.

3. The increased standard of living leads to the fact that distributions based on the principle of justice replace distributions based on personal contribution. The individual does not need to make special efforts to survive, as was the case during the period of industrial society.

4. The development of a post-industrial society is hampered by the fact that capitalism has undermined values ​​that were Christian in origin. And this raises the question: is the further development of society possible in the absence of such values.

These features, as we have seen, do not allow us to describe the essential features that should be inherent in a post-industrial society. Through the joint efforts of I. Masuda, O. Toffler, Zb. Brzezinski, J. Galbraith and others developed the concept of a post-industrial society. The transition to a post-industrial society assumes that the economy is losing its status as the dominant subsystem of society, which sets the conditions and rules for the functioning of all other subsystems.

Therefore, the main signs of post-industrial society are:

A) Number of people, employed in this society in the service sector, exceeds 50 percent of the total population. In such a society, more agricultural and industrial products are produced than it can consume.

b) Great role of scientific research and knowledge. The main method of decision making is the use of a variety of models, analytical methods, etc.

V) The leading technology is mental technology, not manual labor or mechanized technology. For this reason, modern society is also called information society.

G) Social communication flows mainly at the level « man – man”, and not “man - machine”, as in previous stages of social development.

The leading feature of modern society is the concept of “information society”. It is believed that it is the result of the active position of government bodies. Thus, in 1994, the Commission of the European Community adopted the plan “European Path to the Information Community”. In June 200, the G8 meeting adopted the Okinawa Charter for the Global Information Society, which states: “...We must ensure that information technology serves the complementary goals of achieving sustainable economic growth, enhancing public welfare, promoting social cohesion and full realization their potential to promote democracy, transparency and responsible governance of international peace and stability.”

It is obvious that the development of new socio-technological institutions (telemedicine, distance education, e-commerce, Internet media, etc.) is changing the structure of the most important sectors of the economy. Interdependence between different areas is increasing: for example, any change in the field of energy solutions entails changes in the field of raw material processing to a much greater extent than before. At the same time, the types of organization and management undergo significant changes. Hierarchized and centralized institutions are collapsing, and a transition is taking place from a hierarchical to a network organization. As a result, the role of bureaucratic forms of organizing social processes, replaced by social management technologies, is decreasing. Therefore, the state is increasingly reluctant to accept responsibility for managing the economy and supports market and private entrepreneurship, independence, and competitiveness.

Another important feature of post-industrial society is its localization, fragmentation and pluralism. Society cannot be viewed simply as a collection of well-organized institutions. Society is increasingly understood as a system of oppression by a limited group of people who control finances, influence, and information. This, according to D. Bell, is due to the fact that in a post-industrial society the capitalist class disappears, and its place is taken by a new ruling elite, which has a high level of education and knowledge. Property as a criterion of social inequality is losing its importance, and the level of education is becoming decisive. Therefore, in contrast to industrial society, where the main conflict was between labor and capital, in post-industrial society the main conflict is between knowledge and incompetence. So, the most important principles of modern post-industrial society in the West are:

1. individualism, i.e. the final establishment in society of the central role of the individual instead of the role of social groups;

2. differentiation - the emergence of a huge number of specialized professions in the sphere of labor, in the sphere of consumption - a variety of choices of the desired product, etc.;

3. rationality – the dominance of ideas and rules, justified by arguments and calculations;

4. expansion, the invasion of modern forms of organization into all private spheres of human life;

5. openness to experimentation and innovation;

6. recognition of the high value of education, etc.

The scale of social changes in modern society and the growth of interdependence made it possible to speak at the turn of the 20th – 21st centuries about the formation of global society.

At the moment, ties between states are becoming increasingly closer. This process is difficult to assess unambiguously. On the one hand, globalization processes help to quickly and effectively solve problems arising as a result of disasters, natural disasters, and epidemics. On the other hand, globalization has negative sides. Unique in their cultural uniqueness, societies are losing their specificity, life is becoming more and more homogeneous and monotonous throughout the world. At the same time, developed countries, under the guise of strengthening international relations, turn other countries into “appendices” to their own economy, using them as a source of cheap labor and inexpensive natural resources. As E. Giddens notes, “it would be a mistake to think of globalization only as a process of growing world unity. The globalization of social connections should first of all be understood as a transformation of the space and time of modern existence. In other words, our lives are increasingly influenced by actions and events that occur quite far from the social reality in which our daily activities take place.”

Globalization refers to education supranational socio-economic, political and other structures that have a significant impact on global processes. In economics, this was reflected in the creation of such financial organizations as the International Monetary Fund, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and numerous transnational corporations. In politics, globalization manifested itself in the formation of such organizations as the UN, UNESCO, and various military blocs. The sphere of culture was also affected by the processes under consideration, since currently, due to the development of means of communication, there is a unification of lifestyle. We can say that the process of globalization consists of three interrelated components:

· new international division of labor, which allows optimizing the national economic structure of the economy, intra-industry and inter-industry specialization;

· international production based on the transfer of labor-intensive, material-intensive and environmentally polluting industries to developing countries, ensuring technological connections between industries scattered across different countries and a common market for goods;

· political relations connected by the actual disappearance of the socialist model of development and the transformation of capitalism into the only option for world development. As the famous economist M. Castells noted: “The main agents in the development of the global economy were governments, especially the governments of the G7 countries and their international institutions...”.

Immanuel Wallerstein put forward a theory of the world system, according to which supranational economic factors, which determine the face of society in them, are increasingly gaining power over national states. National states turn out to be only elements of the global world system, which is an unification of the center, semi-periphery and periphery. The division of countries into these groups depends on the level of their socio-economic development. Therefore, I. Wallerstein proposed the idea of ​​a world economic system, that is, a set of states that are united by economic ties, but are politically independent of each other, determining the nature and direction of their social development.

Although globalization has led to the frequent use of the concept in scientific literature and the media world community , it is not a society in the usual sense of the word, since it unites many completely different societies.

There are two main approaches to the process of development of global society. On the one hand, globalization is seen as a process that can be a guarantor of the integrity of the world and its development. This approach involves the study of global issues, for example, the problem of providing the world's population with drinking water and food, the problem of combating diseases such as AIDS, cancer, which pose a great danger to humanity, the problem of increasing the greenhouse effect, etc. Much attention is also paid to the study of the process of formation global structures, expansion of Westernization, that is, the spread of values ​​and norms characteristic of European and American culture.

On the other hand, globalization has worsened the situation of a significant number of developing countries, giving rise to an anti-globalization movement. This movement brought together the most diverse forces - entrepreneurs from developed countries associated with the domestic market, trade unions, socialists, anarchists, greens and others. Of course, it cannot achieve an end to the globalization of individual societies, since the basis of this process is the international division of labor. However, the anti-globalization movement is fueled by the desire of a number of countries and societies to preserve their identity and religious and cultural traditions as opposed to the spread of Westernization. The countries of the semi-periphery turn out to be too dependent on post-industrial states, given that outside the post-industrial perspective, the dynamic development of society is impossible.

As a result, we see that at the end of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century, neither on the socio-economic, nor on the cultural and civilizational lines, globalization led to a rapprochement between the individual components of the world system. Pressure from opponents of globalization may change its forms and methods in order to adapt it to the interests of producers serving the domestic market and to the interests of less developed countries. However, a global society cannot emerge in the near future.

Thus, main manifestations folding global society are reflected in the fact that:

· a unified information space is being formed, a clear manifestation of which is the emergence of the Internet;

· the living space of national states is largely subject to the influence of transnational corporations as structures that emerged along with global society;

· the development of the modern world depends mainly on the availability of knowledge and technology (and since they are owned primarily by transnational corporations, their distribution does not depend on the boundaries of cultures and nation states).

Thus, we see that the development of globalization and the formation of a global society have many similarities with post-industrial society and its characteristics. Many of their main features intersect, which allows us to speak of a consistent evolution of society and social relations that follow certain general trends.

If you ask yourself: what is modern society? The answer will be as follows: this is an industrial and post-industrial (information) society, in which science, knowledge, technology, and education play a large role.

What work skills and qualities do you think a modern person should have in order to be successful?

Composition of modern society

Over the past hundred years, the social composition of society has changed greatly. In the 21st century, most of the population lives in cities. Thanks to new technology and new ways of working, agriculture requires fewer and fewer workers. If several centuries ago most of the population was engaged in agricultural work, now in developed countries 5% of the rural population is enough to feed all the inhabitants. Nevertheless, agricultural labor remains a very important component of the economy. He feeds our planet.

Multimillion-dollar cities - megalopolises have become a symbol of our time.

What are the largest cities in the world that you know?

    Interesting facts
    Modern cities are divided into small (up to 50 thousand inhabitants), medium (50-100 thousand), large (100-250 thousand), large (250-500 thousand), largest (500 thousand - 1 million) and millionaire cities (over 1 million inhabitants). Mexico City is now considered the largest city, home to 20 million people.

Modern society includes people of various professions. New specialties are emerging (programmers, computer graphics specialists, managers, etc.) that did not exist until recently. The requirements for the modern worker, the level of his knowledge, skills, professional skills and responsibility are increasing. In many countries of the world, in order to receive secondary education, people study in schools for 12-14 years. Vocational education has become widespread in public and private colleges and universities.

Modern production

Robotic production, giant supermarkets, space stations - these are the signs of modern society.

Today, the leading industries are electronics, computer technology, telecommunications, the latest mining technologies, petrochemistry, and pharmaceuticals (a scientific and practical industry dealing with the production, storage, manufacture and dispensing of medicines). Society produces an increasing number of goods and offers a wide variety of services.

In the economically developed countries of the world, thanks to the success of electronics, automation of production, and then its robotization, became possible. There are tens of thousands of robots and automated systems in use in modern industry.

    Further Reading At Toyota enterprises that produce cars, automatic processes last for 10 days without the slightest human participation or under the control of several specialists. In an automated process, repetitive tasks that were previously performed manually are now performed by machines, and the tasks of workers become only observation and control.

Explain, using the example of Toyota enterprises, what changes have occurred in human labor in a post-industrial society compared to an industrial one? What are these changes related to?

The last word in science and production is the use of nanotechnology.

Nanorobots, created from nanomaterials and comparable in size to a molecule, have the functions of movement, processing and transmission of information, and execution of programs.

Modern means of communication and communications

It is difficult to imagine modern life without cars, airplanes, and space satellites. Satellite technology opened up the prospect of worldwide television and global communications. The satellite is launched far into space, so that almost half of the globe is within its range. New information means of communication have connected people all over the world. Radio signals are transmitted over any distance in a fraction of a second. Mobile phones have become a common communication channel for many people.

Every historical era and type of society is marked by great discoveries. In pre-industrial society, revolutionary changes were brought about by the discovery of fire, the invention of the wheel and the alphabet; in an industrial society - a steam engine and a conveyor line, in a post-industrial society - a computer and the Internet.

The beginning of the information revolution - the spread of computers and the Internet - dates back to the second half of the 20th century.

    Further Reading
    There have been four information revolutions in history. The first is associated with the invention of writing, the second is caused by the invention of printing. The third (end of the 19th century) was due to the invention of electricity, thanks to which the telegraph, telephone, and radio appeared, making it possible to quickly transmit and accumulate information in any volume. The fourth revolution, which began in the 60s of the 20th century, is associated with the invention of microprocessor technology and the advent of the personal computer.

Explain why the invention of writing, printing, and electricity led to information revolutions?

The latest information revolution brings to the fore a new industry - the information industry, associated with the production of technical means and technologies for the production of new knowledge. The most important component of the information industry is information technology.

Computers have penetrated into all areas of human life. With their help, you can receive and process information, perform complex calculations, and communicate between users of computer networks around the world. The Internet - the Worldwide Computer Network - has united millions of people and hundreds of countries, and has eliminated barriers to communication in various fields of science, culture and education.

    Interesting facts
    The Internet unites more than 2 billion people on the planet and is available in 180 countries and regions, and the number of its users is constantly increasing. In our country, the Internet services market is developing rapidly. In 2012, the number of Internet users in Russia amounted to over one million people. Russia ranks third in the world in terms of the amount of time its residents spend on social networks.

The number of Internet users is growing year by year. How does the Internet help you with your studies? Or maybe it interferes?

On the Internet you can request any educational and entertainment programs, purchase goods in an online store, buy theater, train and plane tickets. Thanks to the Internet, people meet people, communicate, get a job, find out the latest news, etc. The Internet is a global computer network where you can get information on issues that interest you in the field of education, science, culture, economics, politics, law, in the sphere of youth life, etc.

Communication through social networks - virtual communities of people, communication between which is mediated by information technology, primarily the Internet, has become very popular. They have become the main channel of communication among young people. The social network Facebook is the most popular site in the world today.

Modern man has enormous opportunities to make his life worthy and interesting.

    Let's sum it up
    Modern society is called post-industrial because smoky factories and factories (industry) have been replaced by robotic production and complexes. And it is called informational because its driving force is scientific knowledge and high technology, primarily information technology.

    Basic terms and concepts
    Nanotechnology, means of communication, information revolution.

Test your knowledge

  1. What are the characteristic features of modern society?
  2. Explain the meaning of the following concepts: “nanotechnology”, “means of communication”, “information revolution”.
  3. Tell us about the achievements of robotics and nanotechnology.
  4. Explain the role and significance of modern means of communication and communication using specific examples.

Workshop

  1. Prepare a report for presentation at the conference “Modern Society” on one of the topics:
    “Modern means of communication”;
    "Modern production";
    "Modern City";
    "Modern Village";
    "Modern technology."
  2. Write a short essay on one of the topics:
    “I like living in modern society”;
    “Me and the Internet: pros and cons.”
  3. Compare the composition of medieval and modern societies and fill in the table.

>> Modern society (6th grade)

Modern production

What is modern society like? This is an industrial and post-industrial society in which science, knowledge, and technology play a large role. In economically developed countries of the world, a wide variety of mechanisms and materials are used to support people’s livelihoods. Thanks to the advances in electronics, production automation and then robotization became possible. There are tens of thousands of robots and automated systems in use in modern industry. Non-waste technologies have been created, as well as technologies in which human labor is replaced by machine labor. Today, the most developed countries are dominated by such industries as electronics, computer technology, telecommunications, the latest mining technologies, petrochemistry, and pharmaceuticals (a scientific and practical industry dealing with the production, storage, manufacture and dispensing of medicines). Society produces an increasing number of goods and offers a wide variety of services.

Robotic production, giant supermarkets, stations - these are the signs of modern society.

Modern means of transport and communication

It is difficult to imagine modern life without cars, airplanes, space complexes, and Earth satellites. Satellite technologies open up the prospect of worldwide television and global communications. The satellite is launched far into space, so that almost half of the Earth is within its range. A satellite communication channel from London to Moscow will eventually be available to people with low incomes. New media are already being linked together around the world. Postal and telegraph messages, television and radio signals are transmitted over any distance in a fraction of a second. Cell phones are becoming one of the channels of communication and communication for many people.

The second half of the 20th century is the beginning of the information revolution - the spread of computers and the Internet. Computers are penetrating all areas of human life. With their help, you can receive and process information, perform complex calculations, and communicate between users of computer networks (Internet) around the world.

Computers replace not only the typewriter, but also the information desk, mail, and much more. Sitting at the computer, you can request any educational and entertainment programs. Computer technology is used in teleshopping systems to place orders at home. The Internet is a global computer network where you can get information on issues that interest you in the field of education, science, culture, economics, politics, law, youth life, etc.

Composition of modern society

In the 21st century, most of the population lives in cities. Thanks to new technology and new ways of working, agriculture requires fewer and fewer workers. If several centuries ago most of the population was forced to engage in agricultural work, now in developed countries 10% of the rural population is enough to feed all the inhabitants. Multimillion-dollar cities - megalopolises have become a symbol of our time. Nevertheless, agricultural labor remains a very important component of the economy. He feeds our planet.

World community- the totality of modern societies existing in the world.

Scientific and technological revolution- a leap in the development of production based on scientific achievements.

Modern society includes people of various professions. Programmers, computer graphics specialists, managers, designers - all these are new specialties that, like many others, did not exist until recently. In this regard, the requirements for a modern employee, the level of his knowledge, skills, professional skills and responsibility are increasing. In many countries around the world, 12-14 year education is being introduced in schools. Vocational education has been widely developed in public and private colleges and universities.

Modern man has enormous opportunities to make his life worthy and interesting.

Problems of modern society

Generations of people on planet Earth at the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st centuries are increasingly aware of the commonality of humanity. The entire set of currently existing societies in the world is called the world community. It is characterized by close economic, political and cultural ties between countries and peoples. Modern means of communication, population migration, temporary work outside one’s own country, and tourism help familiarize people with the way of life, culture and traditions of other countries.

People living at the beginning of the 21st century are also connected by the need to solve common problems facing humanity. faced problems that pose a threat to its existence and further development. The events of recent years have shown that the world community is still vulnerable to disasters caused by both the laws of nature and human activity. Preserving the environment has become one of the main tasks of humanity. There is a threat of wars and the proliferation of nuclear weapons and international terrorism in the world. Contradictions between economically developed and developing countries are growing. And today the world has not eliminated social inequality, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and crime (especially in underdeveloped countries), and conflicts in society. The problems of protecting health, preventing the spread of AIDS and drug addiction are becoming increasingly important. There is also the problem of preserving cultural and moral values.


Let's sum it up

This is an industrial (industrial) and post-industrial (information) society, in which science, knowledge, and technology play a large role.

The composition of modern society is diverse. Most of the population are city residents. Society consists of people of various specialties.

Problems of modern society: eliminating social inequality, fighting poverty, preserving the environment, countering international terrorism.

Test your knowledge

1. What are the characteristic features of modern society?
2. Why is the pace of change in the life of modern society increasing?
3. What is a scientific and technological revolution? How does it manifest itself in the modern world?
4. What problems did humanity face at the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st centuries?

Workshop

1. Prepare group messages on one of the topics:
"Modern production";
"Modern City";
"Modern Village";
"Modern technology";
"Problems of modern society."

2. Write a short essay on one of the topics:
“I like living in modern society”;
“I am concerned about the problems of modern society”;
“Me and the computer: pros and cons.”

Kravchenko A.I., Pevtsova E.A., Social studies: Textbook for 6th grade of educational institutions. - 12th ed. - M.: LLC "TID "Russian Word - RS", 2009. - 184 p.

Lesson content lesson notes supporting frame lesson presentation acceleration methods interactive technologies Practice tasks and exercises self-test workshops, trainings, cases, quests homework discussion questions rhetorical questions from students Illustrations audio, video clips and multimedia photographs, pictures, graphics, tables, diagrams, humor, anecdotes, jokes, comics, parables, sayings, crosswords, quotes Add-ons abstracts articles tricks for the curious cribs textbooks basic and additional dictionary of terms other Improving textbooks and lessonscorrecting errors in the textbook updating a fragment in a textbook, elements of innovation in the lesson, replacing outdated knowledge with new ones Only for teachers perfect lessons calendar plan for the year; methodological recommendations; discussion program Integrated Lessons

Modern society covers two periods of development, corresponding to two types of society - industrial and post-industrial.

The modern concept of society was formed in European culture no earlier than the 17th-18th centuries. At the end of the 18th century, the concept of “civil society” arose. It described the morals and customs of the entire people, the initiative and self-government of the population, and finally, the participation in the political life of ordinary people, not directed by the state, but arising spontaneously. Previously, so-called commoners were not included in what was called “society.” Thus, the concept of “society” was limited to the aristocracy, that is, to the minority of the population who concentrated all the wealth and power. Today we would call this part “high society,” “high society,” the elite, or something else.

This tradition dates back to antiquity. Plato and Aristotle included only free citizens in society, or rather the city-state. Slaves were not members of society. But the former, as a rule, found themselves in the minority. Thus, here too the society consisted of a minority of the population. From the end of the 18th century, and it was then that the Great French Revolution took place (1789-1794), which changed the political face of Europe, the word “society” began to be used in a broad sense. It reflects the emerging self-awareness of people, the desire to participate in the political life of common people. In other words, the majority of the population.

The spread of the concept of “society” to an ever wider circle of people was a gradual and rather contradictory process. In some European countries, women still do not have the right to vote. Many countries around the world maintain a minimum residency requirement. This means that entire sections of the population are excluded from the boundaries of society. Today, such a situation has developed in the Baltic countries.

It is the 18th century that is considered the starting point of the industrial revolution, which changed the economic face of Europe. The home factory, which consisted of the landowner's family, servants and serfs, or the family of the urban artisan, unmarried apprentices, civilian workers and servants, is being replaced by large-scale industry with thousands of hired workers in one enterprise.

Urbanization—the expansion of the share of the urban population and the spread of the urban lifestyle to all segments of the population—becomes an integral companion to another process—industrialization. Industrialization requires more and more trained workers as the complexity of technology constantly increases. This opportunity is provided precisely by urbanization - pumping out the rural population and turning it into a highly educated urban one.

Economic independence and the expansion of political freedoms of citizens have led to the fact that the concept of personality is gradually spreading to ordinary people. Not long ago, namely in the 17th century, commoners were refused to be considered full members of society if they were in an economically dependent position.

Industrial society was born in the 18th century. It is the child of two revolutions - economic and political. By economic we mean the great industrial revolution (its homeland is England). And under the political one - the great French Revolution (1789-1794).

Both of them radically changed the face of Europe: the first gave humanity economic freedoms and a new social stratification, namely class, and the second gave political freedoms and rights, as well as a new political form of society - democracy based on the equality of all people before the law.

Over three centuries, European society has changed beyond recognition. Feudalism was replaced by capitalism. The concept of industrialization came into use. England was its flagship. It was the birthplace of machine production, free enterprise, and a new type of legislation.

Industrialization is the application of scientific knowledge to industrial technology, the discovery of new sources of energy that allow machines to do work that was previously done by people or draft animals. The transition to industry was as significant a revolution for humanity as the transition to agriculture was in its time. Thanks to industry, a small part of the population was able to feed the majority of the population without resorting to cultivating the land. Today, 5% of the population is employed in agriculture in the United States, 10% in Germany, and 15% in Japan.

Unlike agricultural states and empires, industrial countries are more numerous - tens and hundreds of millions of people. These are highly urbanized societies. If in agricultural society cities played an important, but not self-sufficient role, then in industrial society they began to play a leading role.

The division of labor has come a long way. Instead of several dozen, or at most hundreds of specialties of pre-industrial society, thousands and tens of thousands of professions have appeared. Moreover, the speed with which old professions were replaced by new ones increased tens and hundreds of times. And most of them were simply unknown to the agricultural society.

Now more than half of the population is engaged in industrial work, and a smaller part of it is engaged in agricultural work. The prestige of the first is constantly growing, while the second is falling. True, up to a certain limit. The time will come when the prestige of industrial labor will also begin to decline inexorably. But a similar thing will happen in connection with the transition to the next stage - post-industrial society. In pre-industrial society, which is also called traditional, agriculture was the determining factor of development, with the church and army as the main institutions. In an industrial society - industry, with a corporation and a firm at the head. In post-industrial - theoretical knowledge, with the university as the place of its production and concentration.

Table 2. Comparative table of two types of societies*


The transition from industrial to post-industrial society is accompanied by the transformation of a commodity-producing economy into a service economy, which means the superiority of the service sector over the production sector. The social structure is changing: the class division is giving way to a professional one. Property as a criterion of social inequality is losing its importance; the level of education and knowledge becomes decisive. Similar processes are observed in the USA and Japan, which are completing the transition from industrial to post-industrial society. But they are not observed in Russia, which not so long ago completed the transition from a pre-industrial society, where the majority of the population was peasants living in rural areas, to an industrial one.

Pre-industrial societies had an economy based on primary production (hunting, gathering, vegetable gardening, farming). Industrial societies have an economic and social structure based on machine technology and large-scale production systems. The investments expanded Western financial power around the world. As a result, a few industrialized countries dominate the rest of the economic and political world. This dominance enters a new environment - post-industrialism.

In a post-industrial society, the main role is played not by industry and production, but by science and technology. An indicator of the degree of economic development of an industrial society is the steel production index, and an indicator of a post-industrial society is the percentage of scientific and technical workers per total workforce, as well as the amount of expenditure on scientific research developments. An industrial society can be defined by the number of goods produced, and a post-industrial society by the ability to generate and transmit information.

To date, traditional states have completely disappeared from the face of the earth. Although hunter-gatherer tribes, as well as pastoral and agricultural communities, continue to exist today, they are found only in isolated areas - and, in most cases, even these few groups disintegrate. What was the cause of the destruction of societies that determined the entire human history two centuries ago? The answer, to put it in one word, would be industrialization - the emergence of machine production based on the use of inanimate energy sources (such as steam and electricity). Industrial societies in many ways fundamentally different from any of the previous types of social structure, and their development led to consequences that affected far beyond the borders of their European homeland.

Industrial societies

Modern industrialization arose in England as a result of the "industrial revolution" that began in the 18th century. This concept refers to a range of complex technological changes in the way we obtain our livelihoods. These changes are associated with the invention of new machines (for example, the weaving loom), the use of new energy sources in production (especially water and steam), as well as the use of scientific methods to improve production. The rate of technological innovation in industrial societies, compared to traditional ones, is unusually high, since inventions and discoveries in one area lead to even more discoveries in other areas.

The main distinguishing feature of industrial societies is that the overwhelming majority of the working population is employed in factories and offices, rather than in agriculture. In traditional societies, even the most advanced ones, only a small part of the population did not work on the land. The relatively low level of technological development simply did not allow more than a small group to be freed from agricultural production. In industrial countries, on the contrary, only about 2-5% of the population is employed in agriculture, and their efforts are enough to provide food for the rest.

Compared to previous social systems, industrial societies are much more urbanized. In some industrialized countries, over 90% of citizens live in cities, where most jobs are concentrated and new ones are constantly being created. The size of these cities far exceeds those that existed in traditional civilizations. In cities of the new type, social life has become impersonal and anonymous, and we come into contact with strangers much more often than with those we know personally. Organizations of enormous scale are emerging, such as industrial corporations and government agencies, whose activities affect the lives of almost all of us.

Another feature of industrial societies is related to their political systems - much more developed and effective than traditional forms of government. In the era of traditional civilizations, political power in the person of the monarch or emperor had virtually no direct influence on the morals and customs of the majority of subjects, who lived in completely independent settlements. With the process of industrialization, transport and communication became much faster, facilitating greater integration of "national" communities. Industrial societies were the first national states.

Table - Types of human societies

Main Features

Lifetime

Hunter-gatherer societies

They consist of a small number of people who support their existence by hunting, fishing and collecting edible plants. Inequality in these societies is low; differences in social status are determined by age and gender.

From 50,000 BC, e. to this day, although they are now on the verge of complete extinction.

Agricultural societies

These societies are based on small rural communities; there are no cities. The main means of livelihood is agriculture, sometimes supplemented by hunting and gathering. These societies are characterized by greater inequality than hunter-gatherer societies; At the head of these societies are leaders.

From 12,000 BC e. up to now. Today, most of them are part of larger political entities and are gradually losing their specific character.

Cattle Breeders' Societies

These societies are based on the breeding of domestic animals to satisfy

material needs. The size of such societies varies from several hundred to thousands of people. These societies tend to be markedly unequal.

They are controlled by chiefs or military leaders.

The same period of time as agricultural societies. Today, pastoralist societies are also part of larger states; and their traditional way of life is being destroyed.

Traditional states, or Civilizations

In these societies, the basis of the economic system is still agriculture, but there are cities in which trade and production are concentrated. Among traditional states there are very large ones, with a population of many millions, although usually their size is small compared to large industrial countries. Traditional states have a special government apparatus, headed by a king or emperor. There is considerable inequality between the different classes.

From about 6000 BC. e. until the nineteenth century. By now, all traditional states have disappeared.

First world societies

These societies are based on industrial production, with a significant role given to free enterprise. Only a small part of the population is employed in agriculture; the vast majority of people live in cities. There is significant class inequality, although less pronounced than in traditional states. These societies constitute special political entities, or nation states.

From the eighteenth century to the present.

Second world societies

Societies that have an industrial base, but their economic system is dominated by central planning. Only a relatively small part of the population is engaged in agriculture, the majority live in cities. There is significant class inequality, although the goal of the Marxist governments of these countries is to create a classless system. Like the countries of the first world, do they form special political communities, or nation states?

From the beginning of the twentieth century (after the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia) to the present.

Third world societies

Societies in which the majority of the population is engaged in agriculture, live in rural areas and use mainly traditional production methods. However, some agricultural products are sold on the world market. Some third world countries have a free enterprise system, others have a centrally planned system. Third World societies are also nation states.

From the eighteenth century (as colonized countries) to the present.

Nation states are political entities divided by clear boundaries that separate them from each other and replace the vague boundaries of traditional states. Governments of nation states have exclusive power over many aspects of the lives of their citizens and establish laws that are binding on everyone living within their borders.

The use of industrial technologies was by no means limited to the peaceful process of economic development. From the very first steps of industrialization, industrial production was called upon to serve military purposes, and this radically changed the way war was fought, since weapons and types of military organization were created much more advanced than in non-industrial cultures. Economic supremacy, political integrity and military power formed the basis of the unstoppable spread of the Western way of life that the world has experienced during the last two hundred years.

Once numerous traditional cultures and states disappeared not because their way of life was “inferior.” They were unable to withstand the effects of that combination of industrial and military power, which developed in Western countries.

Idea authorities, and a closely related concept ideologies, occupy a very important place in sociology. Power refers to the ability of individuals or groups to maintain their interests even when others oppose it.

Sometimes power is associated with the direct use of force, but almost always it is accompanied by the emergence of ideas (ideologies) that justify actions of those in power. In the case of Western expansion, the invaders justified their actions by claiming that they were bringing “civilization” to the “pagan” peoples with whom they came into contact.