Traditional society: definition. Features of a traditional society

The concept of traditional society embraces the great agrarian civilizations of the Ancient East (Ancient India and Ancient China, Ancient Egypt and medieval states of the Muslim East), European states of the Middle Ages. In a number of states in Asia and Africa, the traditional society is still preserved today, but the clash with modern Western civilization has significantly changed its civilizational characteristics.
The basis of human life is labor, in the process of which a person transforms the substance and energy of nature into objects of his own consumption. In a traditional society, the basis of life is agricultural labor, the fruits of which give a person all the necessary means of life. However, manual agricultural labor using simple tools provided a person with only the most necessary, and even then under favorable weather conditions. Three "black horsemen" terrified the European Middle Ages - famine, war and plague. Hunger is the most cruel: there is no shelter from it. He left deep scars on the cultured brow of the European peoples. Its echoes are heard in folklore and epic, the mournful drawl of folk chants. Majority folk signs- about the weather and crop prospects. The dependence of a person of a traditional society on nature is reflected in the metaphors “earth-nurse”, “mother earth” (“mother earth”), expressing a loving and careful attitude towards nature as a source of life, from which it was not supposed to draw too much.
The farmer perceived nature as a living being, requiring a moral attitude towards himself. Therefore, a person of a traditional society is not a master, not a conqueror and not a king of nature. He is a small fraction (microcosm) of the great cosmic whole, the universe. His labor activity obeyed the eternal rhythms of nature (seasonal change of weather, length of daylight hours) - this is the requirement of life itself on the verge of natural and social. An ancient Chinese parable ridicules a farmer who dared to challenge traditional agriculture based on the rhythms of nature: in an effort to accelerate the growth of cereals, he pulled them by the tops until he was uprooted.
The relation of a person to the object of labor always presupposes his relation to another person. By appropriating this object in the process of labor or consumption, a person is included in the system public relations ownership and distribution. In a feudal society European Middle Ages private ownership of land prevailed - the main wealth of agrarian civilizations. It corresponded to a type of social subordination called personal dependence. The concept of personal dependence characterizes the type of social connection of people belonging to different social classes of feudal society - the steps of the "feudal ladder". The European feudal lord and the Asian despot were full owners of the bodies and souls of their subjects, and even owned them on property rights. So it was in Russia before the abolition of serfdom. Personal addiction breeds non-economic coercion to work based on personal power based on direct violence.
Traditional society developed forms of everyday resistance to the exploitation of labor on the basis of non-economic coercion: refusal to work for the master (corvée), evasion of payment in kind (tire) or cash tax, escape from one's master, which undermined the social basis of traditional society - the relationship of personal dependence.
People of the same social class or estate (peasants of a territorial-neighboring community, a German mark, members of a noble assembly, etc.) were bound by relations of solidarity, trust and collective responsibility. The peasant community, urban handicraft corporations jointly bore feudal duties. Community peasants together survived in lean years: supporting a neighbor with a “piece” was considered the norm of life. Narodniks, describing "going to the people", note such traits of the people's character as compassion, collectivism and readiness for self-sacrifice. The traditional society has formed high moral qualities: collectivism, mutual assistance and social responsibility, which are included in the treasury of civilizational achievements of mankind.
A person in a traditional society did not feel like a person opposing or competing with others. On the contrary, he perceived himself as an integral part of his village, community, policy. The German sociologist M. Weber noted that the Chinese peasant who settled down in the city did not break ties with the rural church community, but in Ancient Greece expulsion from the policy was even equated with the death penalty (hence the word "outcast"). The man of the Ancient East completely subordinated himself to the clan and caste standards of social group life, "dissolved" in them. The observance of traditions has long been considered the main value of ancient Chinese humanism.
The social status of a person in a traditional society was determined not by personal merit, but by social origin. The rigidity of the class-estate partitions of traditional society kept it unchanged throughout life. To this day, the people say: "It is written in the family." The notion inherent in the traditionalist consciousness that one cannot escape fate has formed the type of a contemplative personality, whose creative efforts are directed not at the alteration of life, but at spiritual well-being. I. A. Goncharov, with brilliant artistic insight, captured such a psychological type in the image of I. I. Oblomov. "Fate", i.e. social predetermination, is a key metaphor ancient Greek tragedies. The tragedy of Sophocles "Oedipus Rex" tells of the titanic efforts of the hero to avoid the terrible fate predicted for him, however, despite all his exploits, evil fate triumphs.
The daily life of traditional society was remarkably stable. It was regulated not so much by laws as tradition - a set of unwritten rules, patterns of activity, behavior and communication, embodying the experience of ancestors. In the traditionalist consciousness, it was believed that the "golden age" was already behind, and the gods and heroes left models of deeds and deeds that should be imitated. The social habits of people have hardly changed for many generations. Organization of life, ways of housekeeping and communication norms, holiday rituals, ideas about illness and death - in a word, everything that we call everyday life brought up in the family and passed down from generation to generation. Many generations of people found the same social structures, modes of activity and social habits. Subordination to tradition explains the high stability of traditional societies with their stagnant-patriarchal cycle of life and extremely slow pace of social development.
The resilience of traditional societies, many of which (especially in Ancient East) remained practically unchanged for centuries, and the public authority of the supreme power also contributed. Often, she was directly identified with the personality of the king ("The state is me"). The public authority of the earthly ruler was nourished and religious performances about the divine origin of his power (“The Sovereign is the viceroy of God on earth”), although history knows few cases when the head of state personally became the head of the church (Church of England). The personification of political and spiritual power in one person (theocracy) ensured the dual subordination of a person to both the state and the church, which gave traditional society even greater stability.

One type of economy is traditional economy. This form is quite specific, because the practice of using resources here is determined by historical traditions and customs. On the this moment traditional economics is archaism; it will not be possible to meet such a form in any state, since market relations have penetrated everywhere. However, for sub-systems (for example, some nationalities) of a number of developing countries, the traditional economy continues to be relevant. Vivid examples of the traditional economy are the communal system, where there is a leader who distributes resources exclusively within the community or tribe, or small-scale production, such as a farm.

Signs of a traditional economy

The traditional economy differs from other systems in the following characteristics:

The first feature of the traditional economy ( primitive technology) is its main problem. To understand its cause, you will have to delve into management, one of the rules of which is that any organizational or strategic change will meet with resistance from employees. The leader, as a rule, restrains the penetration of new technologies and advanced information, so as not to subject established traditions to doubt and discussion. In addition, an irrational and unoptimized economy minimizes the unemployment rate, and, consequently, the risk of popular unrest. A similar management principle is described in George Orwell's 1984, although there we are talking about the command economy.

The traditional economy denies any market principles. Trade is only carried out when there is a surplus of products (for example, food), which happens very rarely. As a rule, the traditional economy does not have a national currency, and money, which is an instrument of commodity exchange, is compensated by direct barter.

Advantages and disadvantages of the traditional economy

Let's try to collect all the pros and cons of the traditional form in one scheme:

The advantages of the traditional economy are the stability of society and the high quality of products. The traditional economy, according to experts, can last forever if it is not subjected to outside pressure. No global financial crisis will affect the traditional economy - this is the explanation for the first benefit. High quality products due to the fact that the state produces for myself, therefore, has a direct interest in the quality of the product. Loss of quality occurs, as a rule, as a result of lower costs or an increase in production rates - neither of which is relevant for the traditional economy.

The cons are obvious. As the traditional economy moves away from automation, it has to put up with slow production rates. In such conditions, there can be no talk of reserves for years to come - members of a traditional society are forced to work always without expecting to create any savings for old age. Currency can be stored and used when needed - this is not possible with barter in kind: the products that are most often the subject of exchange simply deteriorate.

Where can you find the traditional economy now?

Elements of the traditional economy can be found in almost any country, since every economy (albeit not always to a large extent) depends on natural resources. In its purest form traditional form can be found:

Northern Russian peoples who are engaged in hunting, fishing and reindeer herding.

In countries South-East Asia considered backward (such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal). A good example of the traditional economy has long been Bangladesh due to the prevalence of subsistence production and the exceptional poverty of the population, however, the market economy came there in the form of the world-famous microfinance organization Grameen Bank, which became the progenitor of social business (about social business, Grameen Bank and its founder can be read in this article -).

In a number of African countries, such as the Republic of Kenya, where they are engaged in cattle breeding and subsistence production (moreover, women pull the plow), Guinea-Bissau (the poorest country in the world) - nomadic animal husbandry, Burkina Faso - agriculture.

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English society, traditional; German Gesellschaft, traditionelle. Pre-industrial societies, agrarian-type ways of life, characterized by the predominance of subsistence farming, class hierarchy, structural stability and the way of socio-cult. regulation of all life based on tradition. See AGRARIAN SOCIETY.

Great Definition

Incomplete definition ↓

traditional society

pre-industrial society, primitive society) is a concept that focuses in its content a set of ideas about the pre-industrial stage of human development, characteristic of traditional sociology and cultural studies. Unified theory T.O. does not exist. Ideas about T.O. are based, rather, on its understanding as a socio-cultural model that is asymmetric to modern society, rather than on generalization real facts the lives of peoples not engaged in industrial production. Characteristic for the economy of T.O. considered the dominance of subsistence farming. In this case, commodity relations either do not exist at all, or are focused on meeting the needs of a small stratum of the social elite. The main principle of the organization of social relations is a rigid hierarchical stratification of society, as a rule, manifested in the division into endogamous castes. At the same time, the main form of organization of social relations for the vast majority of the population is a relatively closed, isolated community. The latter circumstance dictated the dominance of collectivist social ideas, focused on strict observance of traditional norms of behavior and excluding individual freedom of the individual, as well as an understanding of its value. Together with caste division, this feature almost completely excludes the possibility of social mobility. Political power is monopolized within a separate group (caste, clan, family) and exists mainly in authoritarian forms. characteristic feature THEN. it is considered either the complete absence of writing, or its existence in the form of a privilege of certain groups (officials, priests). At the same time, writing quite often develops in a language different from the spoken language of the vast majority of the population (Latin in medieval Europe, Arabic - in the Middle East, Chinese writing - in Far East). Therefore, intergenerational transmission of culture is carried out in a verbal, folklore form, and the main institution of socialization is the family and the community. The consequence of this was the extreme variability of the culture of one and the same ethnic group, manifested in local and dialectal differences. Unlike traditional sociology, modern socio-cultural anthropology does not operate with the concept of T.O. From her point of view, this concept does not reflect real history pre-industrial stage of human development, but characterizes only its last stage. Thus, sociocultural differences between peoples at the stage of development of the "appropriating" economy (hunting and gathering) and those that have passed the stage of the "Neolithic revolution" can be no less and even more significant than between "pre-industrial" and "industrial" societies. . It is characteristic that in the modern theory of the nation (E. Gelner, B. Anderson, K. Deutsch) to characterize the pre-industrial stage of development, the terminology is more adequate than the concept of "T.O." society”, etc.

Great Definition

Incomplete definition ↓

*Traditional*	*Industrial*	*post-industrial*
1.ECONOMY.
natural agriculture	Industry is at the heart of it, and in agriculture it is the increase in labor productivity. Destruction of natural dependence.	The basis of production is information. The services sector comes to the fore.
primitive crafts	Machine technology	Computer techologies
The predominance of the collective form of ownership. Protecting the property of only the upper stratum of society. traditional economy.	The basis of the economy is state and private property, a market economy.	The presence of different forms of ownership. Mixed economy.
The production of goods is limited to a certain type, the list is limited.	Standardization is uniformity in the production and consumption of goods and services.	Individualization of production, up to the exclusivity.
Extensive economy	intensive economy	Increase specific gravity small batch production.
Hand tools	Machine technology, conveyor production, automation, mass production	The sector of the economy associated with the production of knowledge, processing and dissemination of information is developed.
Dependence on natural and climatic conditions	Independence from natural and climatic conditions	Cooperation with nature, resource-saving, environmentally friendly technologies.
Slow introduction of innovations into the economy.	Scientific and technical progress.	Modernization of the economy.
The standard of living of the bulk of the population is low.	Income growth. *Mercantilism* consciousness.	High level and quality of life of people.


2. SOCIAL SPHERE.
Dependence of position on social status. The main cells of society are the family, the community	The emergence of new classes - the bourgeoisie and the industrial proletariat. *Urbanization.*	Erasure of class differences. Growth of the proportion of the middle class. The proportion of the population employed in the processing and dissemination of information is significantly increasing over the labor force in agriculture and industry
The stability of the social structure, the boundaries between social communities are stable, the observance of a strict social hierarchy. estate.	The mobility of the social structure is great, the possibilities of social movement are not limited. The emergence of classes.	The elimination of social polarization. Erasure of class distinctions.
3. POLICY.
The dominance of the church and the army	The role of the state is growing.	Political pluralism
Power is hereditary, the source of power is the will of God.	The rule of law and the law (though more often on paper) Equality before the law. The rights and freedoms of the individual are legally enshrined. The main regulator of relations is the rule of law.	Civil society. Relations between the individual and society are based on the principle of mutual responsibility.
There are no monarchical forms of government, there are no political freedoms, power is above the law, the absorption of the individual by the collective, a despotic state The state subjugates society, society outside the state and its control does not exist.	Granting political freedoms, the republican form of government prevails. A person is an active subject of politics. Democratic transformations	The law, the right - not on paper, but in practice. Democracy. "Consensus" democracy. Political pluralism.
4. SPIRITUAL SPHERE.
Norms, customs, beliefs.		Continuous education.
*providentialism* consciousness, a fanatical attitude towards religion.	*Secularization* consciousness. The emergence of atheists.	Freedom of conscience and religion.
Individualism and originality of the individual were not encouraged, the collective consciousness prevails over the individual.	*Individualism, rationalism, utilitarianism of consciousness.*	The desire to prove yourself, to achieve success in life.
Few educated people, the role of science is not great. Elite education.	The role of knowledge and education is great. Basically secondary education.	The role of science, education, the age of information is great. Higher education. A global telecommunications network, the Internet, is being formed.
Predominance of oral information over written.	domination mass culture.	Availability different types culture
GOAL.
adaptation to nature.	The liberation of man from direct dependence on nature, partial subordination of it to himself. The emergence of environmental problems.	Anthropogenic civilization, i.e. in the center - a person, his individuality, interests. solution of environmental problems.

conclusions

Types of society.

traditional society- a type of society based on subsistence agriculture, a monarchical system of government and the predominance of religious values and worldview.

industrial society- type of society based on the development of industry, on a market economy, the introduction scientific achievements in the economy, the emergence of a democratic form of government, a high level of knowledge development, scientific and technological progress, the secularization of consciousness.

post-industrial society– modern type society based on the dominance of information ( computer technology) in production, the development of the service sector, lifelong education, freedom of conscience, consensus democracy, the formation of civil society.

TYPES OF SOCIETY

1.By degree of openness:

— closed society - characterized by a static social structure, limited mobility, traditionalism, very slow introduction of innovations or their absence, authoritarian ideology.

—open society - characterized by a dynamic social structure, high social mobility, ability to innovate, pluralism, lack of state ideology.

According to the presence of writing:

— pre-literate

—written (owner of the alphabet or sign writing)

3.According to the degree of social differentiation (or stratification):

— simple - pre-state formations, no leaders and subordinates)

— complex - several levels of management, layers of the population.

Explanation of terms

Terms, concepts	Definitions
individualism of consciousness	a person's desire for self-realization, the manifestation of his personality, self-development.
mercantilism	the goal is the accumulation of wealth, the achievement of material well-being, monetary issues come first.
providentialism	a fanatical attitude towards religion, the complete subordination to it of the life of both an individual and the whole society, a religious worldview.
rationalism	the predominance of the mind in the actions and actions of a person, and not emotions, an approach to resolving issues from the point of view of reasonableness - unreasonableness.
secularization	the process of liberation of all spheres public life as well as the consciousness of people out of control and influence of religion
urbanization	growth of cities and urban population

Material prepared: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna

1) The concept of traditional society / Traditional society is the foundation for the formation of modern civilization.

2) Characteristic features of traditional societies:

a) the agrarian nature of the economy;

b) merging of power and property;

c) the patriarchal nature of society and the state;

d) the predominance of collectivist forms of social consciousness;

e) low rates of social changes and social mobility.

3) The main varieties of traditional societies:

a) societies of the ancient medieval East;

b) ancient societies of Greece and Rome;

c) medieval feudal society in Western Europe;

d) Old Russian and medieval Russian society.

4) The specifics of the social stratification of traditional societies:

a) caste or estate system;

b) the predominance of prescribed statuses;

c) church and army as the most important social elevators;

d) limited possibilities of the individual to change his status.

5) Preservation of elements of traditional societies in the modern era.

8.Information society and its features.

1) The concept of the information society / The information society is a modern stage in the history of mankind.

2) Prerequisites for the birth of the information society:

a) scientific and technological revolution;

b) the formation of a new scientific picture peace;

c) microprocessor revolution.

3) Characteristic features of the information society:

a) priority development of the sphere of high technologies and services;

b) development of electronic means mass communications;

c) the use of artificial intelligence in all spheres of society and human life;

d) recognition of the priority of human rights and freedoms.

e) change in the social structure of society.

4) The contradictory nature of the information civilization:

a) displacement of a person from a number of spheres;

b) increasing human dependence on a personal computer;

c) involvement of a person in the world of virtual contacts and communication;

d) deepening the separation of man from the natural environment.

5) The need to preserve humanity, humanistic culture in the information society.

9.The problem of international terrorism as a global problem of our time.

1) Threats and challenges of modern humanity.

2) International terrorism as a threat to the world community.

3) Reasons for the emergence of international terrorism:

b) aggressive introduction of the values and norms of Western society into the non-Western world, oppression of non-Western cultures and values;

c) political dominance of Western countries in the global world.

4) Features of terrorism at the present stage:

a) supranational character;

b) use of modern network technologies and resources;

c) the presence of significant financial, intellectual, human resources;

d) the use of religious and socio-cultural program settings.

5) The main areas of activity of international terrorists:

a) organization of psychological attacks using media technologies;

b) preparation and execution of terrorist acts;

c) organization of Internet attacks on large financial centers and banks.

6) Ways and methods of struggle of the world community against terrorists.

7) The role of the Russian Federation in countering the terrorist threat.

10.Socio-demographic problems of our time.

1) Socio-demographic problems as part of the global problems of our time. / The essence of the socio-demographic problems of modern mankind.

2) Causes of socio-demographic problems:

a) a gap in the levels of economic and social development between countries and regions of the world;

b) change in the way of life of people with the entry into the information age;

c) the impact of world wars and the activities of totalitarian regimes in the 20th century.

3) The main manifestations of global problems:

a) uncontrolled growth in the birth rate in developing countries, the inability to provide a decent standard of living for people;

b) the aging of a number of European nations, the decline in the birth rate;

c) high mortality due to underdevelopment of the healthcare system and low level life.

4) Ways to overcome socio-demographic problems:

a) strengthening the family, traditional family foundations;

b) raising the standard of living of the population in developing countries;

c) implementation of a holistic migration policy, taking into account the interests of countries with various demographic problems;

d) improvement and development of the healthcare and social security system.

5) The specifics of socio-demographic problems in the Russian Federation.

11. The process of globalization and its contradictions.

1) The concept of globalization. / Globalization is the process of forming a single humanity.

2) Manifestations of globalization in various spheres of life modern society:

a) economic globalization (the formation of a single world market, common supranational financial centers(World Bank, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization));

b) political globalization (formation of supranational political decision-making centers (UN, G8, European Union), formation of common standards of democratic institutions);

c) social globalization (expansion of the circle of communication, formation of network social communities, rapprochement between countries and peoples);

d) globalization in the spiritual sphere (spread of mass culture, common cultural standards).

3) The main positive consequences of globalization:

a) acceleration economic development, distribution of economic innovations;

b) raising the standard of living and consumption standards in the world;

c) dissemination of universal ideas about humanism and democracy;

d) bringing people together different countries through network communication.

4) Controversy and ambiguity of globalization processes:

a) a threat to a number of sectors of national economies;

b) Westernization, imposing on non-Western countries the values and traditions of the Western world;

c) a threat to the preservation of a number national languages and cultures;

d) distribution of low-quality samples and products of mass culture.

5) Participation of the Russian Federation in the processes of globalization.

Electoral systems

1. The concept of electoral systems (What is politic system?)

2. Components of electoral systems

a) suffrage

b) electoral process

3. Principles of democratic suffrage

a) equality

b) universality

d) freedom of choice

4. Types electoral system:

a) majoritarian

b) proportional

c) mixed

1. The concept of taxes

2. Types of taxes

b) indirect

3.Functions of taxes

4. Types of taxes

a) federal

b) regional

c) local

5.Taxpayers

Economy and its role in society

1. The concept of economics

a) economics as a science

b) the economy as a household

2. Types of economic systems. a) traditional b) command-admin c) market 2. Problems of the economy

3.Macro and microeconomics

4. Economic activity

5.Economic meters activities

6. The role of the economy in society

The economic growth

1. The concept of economic growth

2. Economical measurement growth

3. Economical factors. growth

c) capital

4. Ways to achieve economical. growth

a) intense

b) extensive

5.New quality economical Growth

1. Definition of money.

2. Requirements for money.

a) rare in nature

b) wear resistance

c) money should be shared

3. Functions of money in society.

a) medium of exchange, measure of value

b) means of payment

c) a store of value

4.Modern types of money.

5. Communication processes. with money.

Economy and state.

1. The composition of the economical. state policy

a) financial

b) investment, scientific and technical.

c) foreign economic, agricultural

d) banking, social

2.Economic functions of the state

a) economic stabilization

b) protection of property rights

c) redistribution of income

d) regulation of money circulation

3. General economic goals of the state

4.Mechanisms of state regulation. economy

5. Qualitatively new functions of the state. in the post-industry. total

Inflation

1.Definition

2. Types of inflation

a) crawling

b) galloping

c) hyperinflation

3. Causes of inflation

4. Influence of inflation on the economy.

5. Anti-crisis policy of the state.

Law in the system of social norms.

1. Definition of social norms and law

2. Signs of law

a) general rules

b) formally defined

c) established by the state

d) protected by the forces of state coercion

e) systemic norms

3. Structure of law, branches of law

a) constitutional law

b) administrative

c) criminal

d) civil

e) labor

f) family

4.Sources of law

5. Legal institutions

Legal liability

1. Types of offenses

a) offenses (disciplinary, civil, administrative);

b) crimes;

2. The concept of legal responsibility

3. Types of legal liability

a) criminal

b) administrative

c) civil law

d) disciplinary

e) constitutional

3. Grounds and conditions for the offensive

4. Disclaimer

5.Features of legal juveniles

social role

1. The concept of "Social role"

2. Role set

a) main roles

b) situational roles

3. Structure social role

4. Types of role conflicts

a) interrole

b) personal role

c) intra-role

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