Materials for the lesson “multivariate social development”. Multivariate social development (types of societies) Multivariate social development types of societies Unified State Examination

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Abstract on the topic: “Multivariate social development”Page 2

State budgetary professional educational institution of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

"November College of Professional and Information Technologies"

in the subject "Social Studies"

on the topic “Multivariate social development”

Students Denisova Yu. S.

Teacher: Kovach Yu. O.

Noyabrsk

Introduction

Revolutions and their types

Traditional society

Industrial society

Post-industrial society

List of used literature

Introduction

If you take a mental look at the course of world history, you will notice many similarities in the development of different countries and peoples. Primitive society was everywhere replaced by a state-governed society. Feudal fragmentation was replaced by centralized monarchies. Bourgeois revolutions took place in many countries. All colonial empires collapsed, and dozens of independent states arose in their place. You yourself could continue listing similar events and processes that took place in different countries, on different continents. This similarity reveals the unity of the historical process, a certain identity of successive orders, the common destinies of different countries and peoples.

However, historical events are always unique and unrepeatable. The specific paths of development of individual countries and peoples are diverse. There are no peoples, countries, states with the same history. The diversity of concrete historical processes is caused by differences in natural conditions, the specifics of the economy, the uniqueness of spiritual culture, the peculiarities of the way of life, and many other factors. Does this mean that each country is predetermined by its own development option and that it is the only possible one? Historical experience shows that under certain conditions, various options for solving pressing problems are possible; there is a choice of methods, forms, and paths for further development. Alternative options are often offered by certain groups of society and various political forces.

Reforms, their types and directions

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

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

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

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

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

Types of reforms:

1. Progressive - these changes entail improvement, improvement of any area of life or an entire system. For example, the abolition of serfdom led to a significant improvement in the lives of the broad masses of the population. Progressive reforms have a positive effect on economic development, living standards or social security, as well as other indicators depending on the scope of their implementation.

2. Regressive - transformations that entail deterioration in the functioning of systems and structures, a decrease in living standards or other negative consequences in society. For example, the introduction of a high tax rate can lead to a reduction in production, the transition of the economy to the so-called “shadow activity”, and a deterioration in the standard of living of the population. Regressive reforms can develop into popular unrest, riots, and strikes. But, despite all their negative consequences, such measures are sometimes forced and subsequently give a positive result. For example, an increase in fees or taxes in order to strengthen the social protection of the population will initially cause a lot of popular indignation, but when the system is fully operational and the people experience the positive aspects of the changes, the unrest will stop, and the updates will have a positive impact on the standard of living of citizens.

Directions of reforms:

1. Social - transformations, changes, reorganization of any aspects of social life that do not destroy the foundations of the social system (these reforms are directly related to people). For example:

Support for motherhood and childhood - providing women who have given birth (adopted) a second or subsequent child the right to additional measures of state support in the form of the possibility of providing maternal (family) capital in the amount established by law and indexed taking into account the level of inflation when the child reaches three years of age, obtaining medical services for mother and child, purchasing housing, obtaining education.

Pension reform - Pension reform is aimed at changing the existing distribution system for calculating pensions, supplementing it with a funded part and personalized accounting of the state's insurance obligations to each citizen. The main objective of the reform is to achieve long-term financial balance of the pension system, increase the level of pension provision for citizens and create a stable source of additional income to the social system. The essence of the reform is to radically change the relationship between employee and employer: to increase the responsibility of workers for ensuring their old age, as well as to increase the employer’s responsibility for paying insurance premiums for each employee. The previously existing pension system did not give the worker the opportunity to earn a normal pension; it only redistributed funds between groups with different income levels and from one region to another. Whereas the new pension model is much more insurance and takes into account the pension rights of citizens depending on the size of their salaries and pension contributions paid. According to the new pension model, contributions to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, which total 28%, are divided into three parts:

· 14% goes to the federal budget and is used to pay the basic state pension; at the same time, a guaranteed minimum basic pension has been established;

· 8-12% of wages are the insurance part of the labor pension and are transferred to the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation;

· from 2 to 6% are sent to the fund for the formation<накопительной составляющей трудовой пенсии>The funded component will be formed from part of the unified social tax (UST) paid by the employer, and its size is tied to wages and, accordingly, to the amount of funds accumulated in the citizen’s individual account.

The size of the pension in the new pension model is determined, first of all, not by the employee’s length of service, but by his real earnings and the amount of contributions to the Pension Fund made by the employer. This should encourage workers, and then employers, to give up various types of<серых>salary schemes and bring hidden parts of salaries out of the shadows, thereby increasing the flow of funds to pay pensions to today's pensioners. The size of the basic and insurance parts of the pension is supposed to be indexed annually taking into account the inflation rate. According to the law “On Compulsory Pension Insurance,” the state bears full responsibility for the payment of pensions to citizens, including subsidiary responsibility for the activities of the Russian Pension Fund and is responsible for its obligations to the insured persons.

Education reforms: - introduction of the Unified State Exam.

The division of higher education into 2 levels - bachelor's and master's degrees. 2. Political - changes in the political sphere of public life (changes in the Constitution, electoral system, expansion of civil rights, etc.). For example:

1860 - Abolition of serfdom in 1860 under Alexander III.

December 12, 1993 - Constitutional reform (adoption of a new Constitution of the Russian Federation, which gave the President significant powers, while the powers of the Parliament were significantly reduced).

2000 - Decree “On the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Federal District”, according to which federal districts were created in Russia.

3. Economic - transformations of the economic mechanism: forms, methods, levers and organization of economic management of the country (privatization, bankruptcy law, antimonopoly laws, etc.). For example:

1993 - Monetary reforms of Russia.

1998 - Ruble denomination - early 1990s -

Privatization. A significant part of state property became private property.

2002 - Adoption of the Federal Law “On Insolvency (Bankruptcy)”. Allowed the establishment of a stable, reliable system of legal relations, rights and obligations of subjects in a situation of insolvency.

Reforms can take place in all spheres of public life.

The degree of reformist transformations can be very significant, up to changes in the social system or the type of economic system: the reforms of Peter I, reforms in Russia in the early 90s. XX century

Revolutions and their types

Revolution - (French - radical revolution): a sharp abrupt transition of society from one qualitative state to another. It can be carried out peacefully or violently, depending on the presence (or absence) of the opposing social groups understanding of the objective necessity of this transition, a vision of peaceful ways to implement it and, finally, the political will to accomplish it through humane means with the least possible casualties. Often in the history of mankind, revolutions alternated with periods of counter-revolution - temporary deviations from the general course of transformations of society, its progressive development.

Types of revolutions:

Long-term, for example:

Neolithic revolution - X -III millennium BC. e. represents the transition from an appropriating economy (hunting, gathering and fishing) to a producing economy (farming and pastoralism), which led to the transformation of hunting-gathering societies into agrarian ones. The most important reason for the dramatic changes in the development of mankind in the period between the X and III millennia BC. e. , called the Neolithic (New Stone Age), marked the transition to a productive economy.

Industrial Revolution - XVII-XVIII centuries. (industrial revolution, Great Industrial Revolution) is the transition from manual labor to machine labor, from manufactory to factory. The transition from a predominantly agricultural economy to industrial production, as a result of which the transformation of an agrarian society into an industrial one occurs. The industrial revolution did not occur in different countries at the same time, but in general it can be considered that the period when these changes took place began in the second half of the 18th century and continued throughout the 19th century. A characteristic feature of the industrial revolution was the rapid growth of productive forces on the basis of large-scale machine industry and the establishment of capitalism as the dominant world economic system. The term “industrial revolution” was introduced into scientific circulation by the outstanding French economist Jerome Blanqui. The Industrial Revolution is associated not just with the beginning of the mass use of machines, but also with a change in the entire structure of society. It was accompanied by a sharp increase in labor productivity, rapid urbanization, the beginning of rapid economic growth (before this, economic growth, as a rule, was noticeable only on a scale of centuries), and a historically rapid increase in the living standards of the population. The Industrial Revolution allowed the transition from an agrarian society (where the majority of the population lived in subsistence farming) to an industrial one in just 3-5 generations.

Short term, for example:

For our country, the most significant is the October Socialist Revolution of 1917, which brought global changes and influenced the historical development of many countries, if not the whole world.

The French Revolution was important both for France and for the world because it showed the world how the lives of large numbers of people could be changed quickly and seriously.

Nowadays “Velvet Revolutions” are in progress without casualties and shocks.

More painful are “color revolutions” that occur through mass protests and riots, usually organized by the opposition.

evolution society revolution reform

Classifications (typologies) of societies

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

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

What are the characteristic features and characteristics of each of these societies? First of all, let us turn to the characteristics of traditional society - the basis for the formation of our modern world. An ancient and medieval society is primarily called traditional, although many of its features have been preserved for a long time in later times. For example, the countries of the East - Asia, Africa bear the signs of traditional civilization even today. So, what are the main features and characteristics of a traditional type of society?

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

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

Traditional society

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

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

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

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

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

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

Of course, this is a generalized portrait of traditional society. It should be more precisely said that we can talk about traditional society as a certain cumulative phenomenon, including the features of the development of different peoples at a certain stage, and there are many different traditional societies: Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Western European, Russian and many others, bearing the imprint of their culture .

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

The long-term preservation of the agricultural community - the world in Russian history, the predominance of agriculture in the structure of the economy, the peasantry in the population, the joint labor and collective land use of communal peasants, autocratic power, allow us to characterize Russian society over many centuries of its development as traditional.

The transition to a new type of society - industrial - will take place quite late - only in the second half of the 19th century.

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

The transition from a traditional society devoid of dynamism to an industrial-type society is reflected in the concept of modernization.

Industrial society

It is born as a result of the industrial revolution, leading to the development of a large factory industry, new types of transport and communications, a reduction in the role of agriculture in the structure of the economy and the relocation of people to cities.

The “Modern Philosophical Dictionary”, published in London in 1998, contains the following definition of industrial society: “An industrial society is characterized by the orientation of people towards constantly increasing volumes of production, consumption, knowledge, etc. The ideas of growth and progress are the “core” of the industrial myth, or ideology. The concept of the machine plays a significant role in the social organization of industrial society. The consequence of the implementation of ideas about the machine is the extensive development of production, as well as the “mechanization” of social relations, human relations with nature... The boundaries of the development of industrial society are revealed as the limits of extensively oriented production are discovered.”

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

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

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

The authorities returned to the task of completing industrialization, that is, creating a powerful industry that would make the main contribution to the national wealth of the country, already in the Soviet period of history.

We know the concept of “Stalinist industrialization”, which occurred in the 1930s - 1940s. In the shortest possible time, due to the accelerated development of industry, using as a source primarily funds received from the robbery of the countryside, mass collectivization of peasant farms, by the end of the 1930s our country created the foundations of heavy and military industry, mechanical engineering, and acquired independence from the supply of equipment from abroad. But did this mean the end of the industrialization process? Historians argue. Several researchers believe that all the same, even at the end of the 1930s, the main share of national wealth was formed in the agricultural sector; agriculture produced more product than industry.

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

Post-industrial society

This is the modern stage of human development.

The second half of the 20th century was marked by the rapid development of fundamental science, engineering and technology. Science is turning into an immediate powerful economic force. The rapid changes that have engulfed a number of spheres of life in modern society have made it possible to talk about the world entering the post-industrial era. In the 1960s, this term was first proposed by the American sociologist D. Bell. He also formulated the main features of such a society: the creation of a vast service economy, an increase in the layer of qualified scientific and technical specialists, the central role of scientific knowledge as a source of innovation, ensuring technological growth, and the creation of a new generation of intellectual technology. Following Bell, the theory of post-industrial society was developed by American scientists J. Galbraith and O. Toffler.

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

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

Scientists who study the development of culture and spiritual life introduce another name in relation to the modern, post-industrial world - the era of postmodernism. (By the era of modernism, scientists understand industrial society). If the concept of post-industriality mainly emphasizes differences in the sphere of economics, production, and methods of communication, then postmodernism covers, first of all, the sphere of consciousness, culture, and patterns of behavior.

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

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

As the leading features of a postmodern society, scientists note increasing pluralism, multivariance and variety of forms of social development, changes in values, motives and incentives of people.

The approach we have considered in a generalized form presents the main milestones in the development of mankind, focusing primarily on the history of Western European countries. Thus, it significantly narrows the possibility of studying the specific features and development features of individual countries. He pays attention, first of all, to universal processes. Much remains beyond the attention of scientists. In addition, willy-nilly we accept as a given the point of view that there are countries that have taken the lead, there are those who are successfully catching up with them, and there are those who are hopelessly behind, not having time to jump on the bandwagon of the last carriage of the modernization machine rushing forward. The ideologists of modernization theory are convinced that the values and development models of Western society are universal and represent a guideline for development and imitation for everyone.

Concept of social progress

When starting a new business, a person believes that it will be successfully completed. We believe in the best and hope for the best. Our grandfathers and fathers, enduring all the hardships of life, the hard times of war, working tirelessly, were convinced that we, their children, would have a happy life, easier than the one they lived. And it has always been like this.

During the 16th - 17th centuries, when Europeans expanded the expanses of the Oikumene (Promised Land) by discovering the New World, when new branches of science began to emerge, the word “progress” appeared.

This concept is based on the Latin word “progressus” - “moving forward”.

In the modern scientific dictionary, social progress has come to be understood as the totality of all progressive changes in society, its development from simple to complex, the transition from a lower level to a higher one.

However, even inveterate optimists, convinced that the future must inevitably be better than the present, realized that the process of renewal does not always proceed smoothly and progressively. Sometimes, forward movement is followed by a rollback - a backward movement, when society can slide into more primitive stages of development. This process was called “regression”. Regression is opposed to progress.

Also in the development of society, we can distinguish periods when there is no obvious improvement, forward dynamics, but there is no movement back. This state began to be called the word “stagnation” or “stagnation”. Stagnation is an extremely dangerous phenomenon. It means that “inhibition mechanisms” have turned on in society, that it is not able to perceive the new, advanced. A society in a state of stagnation rejects this new, striving at all costs to preserve old, outdated structures, and resists renewal. Even the ancient Romans emphasized: “If you don’t move forward, you move backward.”

Progress, regression and stagnation do not exist separately in human history. They are intricately intertwined, replacing each other, complementing the picture of social development. Often, when studying historical events, for example, reforms or revolutions, you have come across such concepts as “counter-reforms”, “reactionary turn”. For example, when considering the “great reforms” of Alexander II, which affected all spheres of Russian society, led to the overthrow of serfdom, the creation of classless local governments (zemstvos and city councils), an independent judiciary), we cannot help but note the reaction that followed them - “counter-reforms” of Alexander III. This usually happens when innovations are too significant and fast and the social system does not have time to successfully adapt to them. A correction of these changes, a kind of “shrinkage” and “dwindling”, is inevitable. The famous Russian publicist M.N. Katkov, a contemporary of the “great reforms,” wrote that Russia had moved too far along the path of liberal reforms, that it was time to stop, look back, and understand how these changes relate to Russian reality. And, of course, make amendments. As you know from history lessons, it was in the 1880s and early 1890s that the powers of jury courts were limited and stricter control over the activities of zemstvos was established by the state.

The reforms of Peter I, in the words of A.S. Pushkin, “raised Russia on its hind legs,” caused significant shocks for our country. And to a certain extent, as the modern Russian historian A. Yanov aptly defined, the “de-Petrovization” of the country was required after the death of Tsar Peter. However, the reaction should not be viewed only in a negative way. Although most often, in history lessons we talk about its negative side. A reactionary period is always a curtailment of reforms and an attack on the rights of citizens. “Arakcheevshchina”, “Nikolaev reaction”, “dark seven years” - these are examples of such an approach. But the reaction is different. It can be a response to both liberal reforms and conservative transformations.

So, we noted that social progress is a complex and ambiguous concept. In its development, society does not always follow the path of improvement. Progress can be complemented by regressive periods and stagnation. Let us consider another side of social progress, which convinces us of the contradictory nature of this phenomenon.

Progress in one area of social life, for example, in science and technology, does not necessarily have to be complemented by progress in other areas. Moreover, even what we consider progressive today can turn into a disaster tomorrow or in the foreseeable future. Let's give an example. Many great discoveries of scientists, for example, the discovery of X-rays or the phenomenon of nuclear fission of uranium, gave rise to new types of terrible weapons - weapons of mass destruction.

Further, progress in one country does not necessarily entail progressive changes in other countries and regions. History gives us many similar examples. The Central Asian commander Tamerlane contributed to the significant prosperity of his country, the cultural and economic rise of its cities, but at what expense? Due to the robbery and ruin of other lands. Colonization of Asia and Africa by Europeans contributed to the growth of wealth and living standards of the peoples of Europe, but in a number of cases preserved archaic forms of social life in the countries of the East. Let's touch on another problem that touches on the topic of social progress. When we talk about “better” or “worst,” “high” or “low,” “primitive” or “complex,” we always mean the subjective characteristics inherent in people. What is progressive for one person may not be progressive for another. It is difficult to talk about progress when we mean the phenomena of spiritual culture and creative activity of people.

Social development will be influenced by both objective factors independent of the will and desires of people (natural phenomena, disasters), and subjective factors determined by the activities of people, their interests, aspirations, and capabilities. It is the action of the subjective factor in history (man) that makes the concept of social progress so complex and contradictory.

Social progress and modernization

A general concept that reflects the process of renewal and development of society is the concept of “modernization”. This is the extremely broad meaning of this concept.

However, more often when we talk about “modernization” we mean something different, an understanding of this process within the framework of the so-called modernization theory. This is the narrow meaning of this concept, that is, consideration as a process of transition from the development of a traditional type of society devoid of dynamism to an industrial society. Below we use modernization in the narrow sense. In this case, historically, modernization coincides with the transition from a feudal society to a capitalist society and is organically connected with the industrial revolution and the processes that it brings to life.

Thinkers identify several facets (sides) of modernization. Thus, economic modernization refers to the industrial revolution, that is, the transition from the manufacturing stage of production to the factory stage, from manual labor to the widespread dissemination of machine production. - Social modernization is the displacement of classes (groups of people differing on political and legal grounds) by social classes (groups of people differing in their place in the division of labor, in relation to property, social wealth).

The political side of modernization includes the establishment of parliamentarism, a multi-party system, and democratic institutions for interaction between society and government.

Spiritual modernization involves the formation of a new picture of the world, a change in the role of science in society, and the formation of a new spiritual image of man.

This understanding of modernization suffers from a certain one-sidedness, paying attention mainly to economic processes - the industrial revolution, the birth of equipment and technology of a new generation. The remaining processes are considered as secondary, indirect.

Modern Russian philosophers A.S. Akhiezer and S.Ya. Matveeva offer their own interpretation of modernization that can overcome this economic determinism. They see modernization, first of all, as changes in values and guidelines for the development of society.

S. Ya. Matveeva understands modernization as “a process of non-catastrophic (that is, not involving the destruction, breakdown of previous structures and relationships) transformation of society, perception and adaptation by the host culture of innovations and values of the host culture.” The host culture is a traditional society. The values of an industrial society are accepted. Moreover, each culture, each people masters new (essentially Western European) norms and values in its own way. There is no one-size-fits-all borrowing model.

It is very important to understand modernization as a non-catastrophic process, that is, one that does not lead society to destruction, death, or the breakdown of its supporting foundations. In a certain sense, a catastrophe is also considered to be a break in the continuity of development, a loss of connection with one’s own past, and an interruption of historical continuity. This understanding of modernization is especially important in our country - Russia. Because throughout the 20th century we had to experience essentially two national-state catastrophes, which led to the collapse of the previous statehood. These are the revolution of 1917, which buried the Russian Empire, and the events of 1991-1992, which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the formation of post-Soviet states. The new Russian statehood is very young, it dates back only a decade and a half. By historical standards, this is an extremely short period of time. And an analysis of the lessons of the past, an understanding of how important it is to carry out transformations and reforms, without allowing the destruction of the entire system of social relations, the severing of connections between generations, the continuity of historical development - a necessary element in the formation of modern Russia.

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Society development process

The formation of society went through several stages. In science it is customary to distinguish three stages of historical development and, accordingly, types of society:

pre-industrial;
industrial;
post-industrial.

Each type is characterized by its own characteristics, which show how society has changed: political regimes, culture, social structure, methods of production, forms of ownership, people’s lifestyles.

Dynamics of social development

Scientists have identified patterns that show how society developed.

acceleration of history

Each stage is smaller than the previous one. The longest was the primitive system.

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In subsequent eras, production developed more and more rapidly, scientific discoveries were made, and tools were improved. These changes increasingly accelerated social development.

unequal development of different peoples

Along with highly developed countries, backward tribes continue to exist today, preserving tribal relations.

Progressive states are trying to accelerate the development of such peoples. This has both positive and negative aspects. On the one hand, they become more civilized, are involved in new relationships, on the other hand, they find themselves unprepared to enter a higher stage of development and lose their identity and traditions.

This understanding of the features of the historical process allows us to assert that these trends will be characteristic of society in the future.

Social progress

This term refers to a long-term global process during which societies developed from primitiveness with its primitive tools, tribal relations, to civilization, the scientific and technological revolution, and new types of relations.

Types of progress:

reform : social, economic, political;
revolution : short-term and long-term.

Reform is the state's partial improvement of any area. Revolution is a complete or large-scale change, sudden changes affecting the foundations of the existing system.

In this case, we can talk about multivariate social development. Depending on the conditions, time, and social system, historical development proceeded differently. As theory and practice show, there are countries where development followed approximately the same line, but there are no states whose history coincides - they all have their own unique features.

What have we learned?

Society is a dynamically developing system. Its formation began in the primitive era. Acquiring new features, society moved closer and closer to modernity. Among the trends characteristic of society. highlight the acceleration and uneven development of different peoples. Social progress is the constant improvement of tools, scientific discoveries and their introduction into production. Progress manifests itself in two varieties: reform and revolution.

Answers to questions and all the theory behind them are at the end of the test.

1. The totality of all progressive changes in society, its development from simple to complex is called

1) progress
2) regression
3) stagnation
4) stagnation

2. The inclusion of “braking mechanisms”, the inability of society to perceive the new, advanced is called

1) progress
2) regression
3) stagnation
4) revolution

3. Are the following judgments about progress true?

A. The progress of science and technology has ambiguous consequences.
B. The concept of progress in modern conditions is increasingly transformed towards enriching it with humanistic parameters and characteristics.

1) only A is correct
2) only B is correct
3) both judgments are correct
4) both judgments are incorrect

4. Imperious action aimed at changing certain areas and aspects of social life in order to give society greater stability and stability is called

1) system
2) evolution
3) revolution
4) reform

5. What type of society is characterized by an extensive development path?

1) traditional
2) industrial
3) post-industrial
4) informational

6. A feature of what type of society is the employment of the majority of the population in industry?

1) traditional
2) industrial
3) post-industrial
4) informational

Click to view answers to test questions▼

1 - 1. 2 - 3. 3 - 3. 4 - 4. 5 - 1. 6 - 2.

Theoretical material

THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL PROGRESS

The term “progress” comes from the Latin word progresso (“moving forward”) and indicates a positive direction in the process.
Under social progress understand the totality of changes in society that occur during its progressive movement from a lower level of development to a higher one, from a less perfect state to a more perfect one.

According to modern ideas, progressive changes in some areas of society can be combined with regression and stagnation in others. Under regression understand this type of development, which is characterized by a transition from a higher level to a lower one, as well as processes of degradation and decline. Stagnation(stagnation) occurs when forward movement stops, but there is no backward movement, i.e., over a certain period of time the situation neither improves nor worsens.

It should be noted that in some cases, determining the type of development (progress or regression) completely depends on the selected analysis criterion. For example, human history can be assessed as progress if the solution to the problem of slavery is considered as a criterion. However, it can just as easily be considered a regression due to the emergence of more and more new ways of oppressing man by man.

Currently, social development is usually assessed using a set of various indicators, in particular:

Average life expectancy of the population;
infant mortality rate;
natural population growth;
the level of education;
income level;
structure of cash costs;
consumption of staple foods;
GDP per capita, etc.

However, these indicators mainly reflect only the level of socio-economic status of the population and cannot fully characterize other components of social development. Therefore, if economic growth and the presence of scientific and technological progress are beyond doubt, then the idea of the existence of social progress has its opponents. Here are some of their arguments.

Firstly, the concept of social progress objectively creates the preconditions for a distorted assessment of the past, which begins to be seen as the main reason for the current situation, that is, it serves to justify and even justify the present. As a result, responsibility for what is happening at the moment is shifted to previous generations.

Secondly, this concept is to a certain extent immoral, because it actually considers past generations as “fertilizer for the harvest of the future*. “Progress turns every human generation, every human face, every era of history into a means and instrument for the final goal - the perfection, power and bliss of the future humanity, in which none of us will have a lot,” wrote the Russian philosopher N. Berdyaev.

Thirdly, according to the famous Spanish philosopher X. Ortega y Gasset, the idea of progress lulls a person’s consciousness like chloroform; life then seems to him like a well-organized tourist trip, when all the problems that arise are successfully solved for him.

Therefore, according to modern ideas, it makes sense not to talk about the progress of society as a whole, but to evaluate the development indicators of each individual person.

MULTIPLE OPTIONS OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (TYPES OF SOCIETIES)

The multivariance of social development is directly related to the laws of the historical process (they mean essential connections between historical facts and phenomena, as well as general, recurring trends in historical development).

According to the teachings of K. Marx and his followers, the laws of historical development are an objective reality that manifests itself through the actions and behavior of people. Marxists view history as “the activity of a person pursuing his goals*, while they determine the laws of the historical process statistically. Supporters of Marxism believe that, of course, most people have different individual aspirations, but the results of statistical processing of various historical processes make it possible to establish an objective trend.

In contrast to the Marxist ideas outlined above, a number of scientists deny the existence of laws of the historical process. They argue that belief in the “inexorable laws of historical inevitability” is destructive and ultimately leads to extremely negative consequences. For example, it was precisely this belief that was based on the fascist ideology in Nazi Germany, which became the main reason for the outbreak of the bloodiest World War in human history.

History consists of unique events and phenomena that are difficult to summarize in the form of laws. The uniqueness of historical processes is also evidenced by their inexplicable interweaving and qualitative differences between interdependent stages, each of which has its own specifics. Historical realities are extremely complex and consist of many different elements. The forces present in history can interact with each other in a variety of ways. In the historical process, the mental activity of people, closely connected with their psychology and morality, is built on top of the economic basis.

One more argument. As is known, knowledge of patterns is the basis for the development of objective scientific forecasts. However, in public life, according to the outstanding English scientist K. Popper, the prediction itself influences the predicted event, acquiring the status of an element of historical reality. In addition, the experience of numerous unsuccessful historical forecasts also in a certain way testifies against the existence of the laws of history. Moreover, the task of discovering these laws seems fundamentally unsolvable. After all, the political situation and the interests of certain social groups deform the ideals of science and significantly affect the objectivity of humanitarian research.

The above arguments are far from indisputable, and the problem of the existence of patterns in the historical process certainly requires further research. It is important to note here that in history there is always an interaction between objective and subjective factors. And, it seems, the choice of one or another option for social development will largely depend on the influence of which factors currently prevail.
Social development can be reformist or revolutionary in nature.

Reform- this is a transformation in any area (political, social, economic, etc.) of public life that does not affect the foundations of the existing system. Formally, a reform is a transformation of any direction, but usually this term refers to progressive innovations.
Revolution is a process characterized by radical changes: a change in the ruling elite, replacement of the entire political system or a number of its significant elements. It represents a sharp leap in social development and is usually associated with violence.

Revolution should be distinguished from other actions also aimed at overthrowing the dominant political group.

Signs that distinguish a revolution from a coup d'etat:

A radical replacement of the old political system is fundamentally different;
active support of the changes being carried out by a significant part of the population;
the generally progressive nature of these changes;
desire to solve the most pressing social problems.

K. Marx called revolutions “the locomotives of history.” In the concept of the historical process he proposed, in which social development was viewed as a consistent change of socio-economic formations (primitive communal -> slaveholding -> feudal -> capitalist -> communist), social revolutions were assigned a key role. However, real historical experience shows that almost every revolution is accompanied by severe terror and, in the end, does not always contribute to progressive changes in society.

The October Revolution of 1917 in Russia was of particular importance for world history. It caused a significant upsurge in the international labor movement. Thus, over the next few years, a wave of revolutionary uprisings swept through many countries. However, the significance of the October Revolution as one of the most important historical events of the 20th century lies primarily in the fact that it clearly demonstrated to the whole world both positive and negative (the establishment of a brutal dictatorship, the expropriation of almost all private property, mass terror, a bloody civil war, etc. .) consequences of the “victorious socialist revolution*. It is important to note that further revolutionary transformations were no less contradictory and ultimately led to the establishment of a totalitarian regime in the USSR.

Frightened by the October events in Russia and the resulting strengthening of revolutionary sentiments throughout the world, the governments of many countries undertook large-scale reforms that significantly improved the political and socio-economic situation of the working people. In particular, the list of political freedoms was expanded, the length of the working week was reduced, the amounts of various social benefits were increased, working conditions and medical care for workers were improved, their wages were increased, etc. Since then, the main efforts of the ruling regimes have been aimed at preventing countries where revolutionary situations arise. As a rule, these efforts were successful, so at present, in most countries, social development is reformist in nature. However, the revolutionary path of development is far from exhausted, as is clearly demonstrated by the example of the two victorious revolutions of 2011 - in Tunisia and Egypt.

Let us now consider the classification of types of societies. Above we have already presented a Marxist typology based on the formation criterion (see also subsection 2.3). Of course, other characteristics are also used for classification. Thus, according to the level of development, societies are divided into developed, developing and backward, and according to the characteristics of the management structure - into simple and complex.

The typology of societies, most fully presented in the work of the famous American scientist D. Bell “The Coming Post-Industrial Society*, has received wide recognition in the scientific world. According to D. Bell, humanity in its development goes through three stages: pre-industrial(traditional) industrial And post-industrial, for which the leading sectors are, respectively, agriculture, machine production and the service sector. These stages are characterized by the following main forms of social organization: church and army - in a traditional society, a corporation - in an industrial society, a university - in a post-industrial one. The dominant role of priests and feudal lords, industrialists and businessmen, scientists and professional specialists is also characteristic of the corresponding stages. Bell considered the most important feature of post-industrial society to be the rapid growth in the production of services and the volume of knowledge accumulated by humanity.

At the post-industrial stage of development of society, the main products are services and knowledge.

Let us note that, along with D. Bell, some other famous scientists (in particular, R. Dahrendorf, Z. Brzezhinski, E. Toffler) also proposed their concepts of a new stage of social development following industrial society. It should be said that all these concepts were developed in the 50-70s. XX century and were mainly based on an analysis of the realities that existed at that time. Their authors believed that a distinctive feature of the emerging new type of social structure was the priority development of the service sector and a number of other sectors of non-material production, which would prevail over agriculture and industry. However, the study of the development trends of our civilization over the past decades has shown that there are certain discrepancies between these theoretical constructs and modern realities.

It is now generally accepted that to describe the era that humanity entered at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries, the most appropriate concept is the information society. According to this concept, the characteristic features of this society are: the increasing role of information and knowledge in the life of society; increasing the share of information products and services in GDP; creating a global information space, ensuring unlimited access to various information resources in order to maximally satisfy people's needs for a variety of information.

The main feature of the information society, emerging at the post-industrial stage of social development, is a fundamentally new order, in which information and knowledge become the most important resource, and information technology becomes the main technology.
The features of this type of society also include virtuality. According to the Russian scientist D. Ivanov, this phenomenon covers all spheres of public life, i.e. it is not only an artificial world of computer virtual reality (mainly created for various games), but also virtual money, offices, shops, etc.

The term “virtual” first appeared in the mid-20th century in quantum physics. Originally it had the meaning of “possible, manifested under certain conditions” and was used to designate particles that could only be detected at the moment of interaction with them. Currently, the interpretation of this term has expanded significantly.

Among the many specific problems inherent in this type of society, the problem of pollution of the information space with useless information (the so-called information garbage) and the problem of the reliability of information operating in open access mode should be highlighted.

Social development on the globe is characterized by nonlinearity and multivariance. Currently, there are many societies (societies) that are very different from each other. They all developed differently.

By the nature of social development we can distinguish:
- reforms are, as a rule, slow changes affecting certain aspects of social life. Most often, reforms are carried out “from above”, by the force of power. Reforms can be progressive (lead to positive changes) and regressive (or reactionary, i.e. leading to negative consequences. An example of a progressive reform is the tax reform of Peter the Great. Instead of the household tax, a tax levied on a family without taking into account its size, - he established a poll tax - a tax levied on the soul, that is, on a person. This was more fair. An example of a reactionary reform is the gradual enslavement of the peasants - they ceased to be free;

Revolutions are sudden, radical changes that lead to upheavals in all spheres of society. An example of a revolution is the February bourgeois revolution in Russia. Its result is the overthrow of the monarchy, a radical restructuring of government and the entire society.

Typology is literally “the science of types,” or classification is division into groups. In its simplest form, societies can be classified into preliterate and literate. Pre-literate societies do not have a written language, but literate societies can pass on knowledge and experience to new generations through written language.

However, this classification has now lost its meaning - in principle, all societies in the modern world are written. Scientists use a different classification:

1. Traditional (agrarian) society. Signs: dominance of agriculture; the predominance of subsistence farming (production for oneself, not for sale); extensive technologies (development of production by attracting additional resources - labor, raw materials); predominance of manual labor; human life obeys the laws of nature; communal, corporate, state ownership dominates, private ownership is not represented; the social structure is sedentary, low social mobility; the basis of society is family and community; human behavior is regulated by traditions and customs; religion plays an important role in the life of society; collectivist consciousness prevails (the team is more important than the interests of the individual).

The Russian society of the pre-Petrine era was an agrarian society. There was no industry in Russia, but the main product was created in agriculture.

2. Industrial society. Signs: dominance of industry; development of machine production, intensive technologies (development of production through the introduction of new, more modern technologies); man is the conqueror of nature; the predominance of private property; social mobility is significant; urbanization processes are rapidly progressing (urban population growth - as industry develops in cities); new classes appear - the proletariat, the bourgeoisie; the class structure of society is becoming a thing of the past; secularization of consciousness occurs (a person is freed from the dependence of the church); law is the main regulator of people’s behavior in society; individualism is the main principle of consciousness.

Russian society of the 19th century can be considered an industrial society. In Russia of the century before last, industry was most developed, social stratification reached its highest limit - workers worked for pennies, but the economy as a whole developed. Large plants and factories were created.

3. Post-industrial (information) society. Signs: dominance of the service sector; development of new information technologies, ultra-fast communication systems (fax, Internet); human activity has created global problems that threaten the existence of human civilization; production, especially “dirty” production, begins to move beyond the boundaries of this society; very high social mobility (a person can work without being tied to a place - via the Internet); main class – middle (owners of small and medium-sized firms); reduction of social stratification; formation of the rule of law and a democratic society; education plays a leading role; science turns into a productive force for the development of society.

The “classic” example of a post-industrial society is modern Japan. This is a society of small shops, salons providing various services, etc. Some Japanese factories are now in other countries. Japan produces scientific knowledge and introduces it into the economy.

The development of society, leading to the transition to a new type of society (from agricultural to industrial, from industrial to post-industrial) is called modernization. Modernization can take place using both internal and external resources. Based on this, they distinguish:

Inorganic (artificial) modernization - occurs through external borrowing, most often carried out by orders of the authorities, and is of a catch-up nature. A typical example is the accelerated, often unprepared modernization of the USSR with the slogans “Catch up and overtake America!” People are often not ready for such modernization; it is carried out with the strain of people and the entire society. Such modernization most often begins in the political and economic spheres;
- organic (natural) modernization - prepared by the entire previous course of development of society, carried out naturally, at the expense of internal reserves. Such modernization, as a rule, begins with the spiritual and social spheres, and only then affects the economy and politics. An example of such modernization is the gradual development of Europe, a change in the mentality of Europeans, and only then - economic and political transformations.

Multivariate social development.

Modern humanity is about 5 billion people, more than a thousand nations and about one and a half hundred states. The reasons for this diversity lie in the differences in natural and climatic living conditions, and in different historical paths of development.

In the modern world we can distinguish 3 groups of countries:

1) industrialized(countries of industrial Western civilization - USA, Japan, Western European countries) - characterized by a high level of development, high per capita income (per capita income - gross national product per capita), intensive type of production (introduction of new equipment, technologies and management methods). Technogenic, scientific and technical civilization with highly developed industry of group A (group A - heavy industry);

2) developing countries(traditional societies - countries of Asia and Africa) - low level of development and per capita income, extensive type of production (quantitative expansion of production and use of traditional technology). These states specialize in the production of agricultural products and industrial products of group B (group B - light industry);

3) countries with economies in transition(Russia, Eastern Europe, Korea, Hong Kong, etc.) – average level of development and per capita income indicators. Russia is going through a transition period, its economy is mixed. After the reforms of the 1990s, the country experienced a deep socio-economic crisis, falling incomes, and a decline in the birth rate. Beginning in 2002, an evolutionary rise in the economy began, mainly due to the flow of money into the economy from the sale of oil.

Evolution and revolution as forms of social change– these are two types of development that differ in speed, quality and quantity of changes.

Evolution(from Latin unfolding) – a slow process of development (gradual changes, for example biological evolution according to Darwin). Spencer developed the idea of social evolution. He equated social evolution with the development of social progress. The course of social evolution can be independent (with the gradual emergence of new phenomena) or reformative (changes through social reforms, for example the abolition of serfdom). The engine of social evolution can be man, nature or society.

Revolution(from Latin turn) - a rapid leap in development associated with qualitative changes (for example, a scientific and technological revolution or a class revolution).

Social progress(from Latin forward movement) - the progressive development of society along an ascending line, from lower to higher. The criterion for progress is the level of development of the economy, science, culture and legal relations. Regression (from Latin return, movement back) is a return to the old, stagnation and degradation of society.