What stages does society go through in its development? The main stages of the development of society

What stages does society go through in its development? Before answering this question, we note that its socio-historical development is a multilateral process, extremely complex. It occurs over a fairly long period of history and involves political, legal, economic, intellectual, spiritual and moral, and many other components that form some kind of integrity. Many scientists tried to give their answer to the question of what stages society is developing in its development. In this article, we will consider the basic theories and classifications proposed by well-known researchers on this issue.

Specificity of sociological study of the historical development of society

Sociological study of this concept is not easy, firstly, because it is difficult to single out the social aspect proper. In addition, it is not easy to determine the very content of the concept of "social development" in the course of the historical process. And all this must be done in order to answer the question: "What are the stages in the development of society?" Researchers usually focus their attention on the socio-historical development of some social subject. They can be a separate person, a certain society (for example, Russian), as well as a group of societies (Latin American, European), a nation, a social group, a social institution (family, education system), a social organization. They can also be combinations of them (national economic enterprises, political parties, commercial and industrial companies). However, we are only interested in the question of what stages in the development of society as a whole.

Civilization and the type of society

The socio-historical development of societies as integral social units has the greatest interest in sociology. Of course, it consists of the development of individual classes, social groups, institutions, organizations, communities. However, at each stage of its socio-historical development, this or that society is an entity, for the analysis and description of which usually different concepts are used. They can be combined into two groups - "civilization" and "type of society." These concepts characterize qualitative states at various stages of socio-historical development. They need to be given a definition in order to answer the question: "What are the stages of the society in its development?"

The concept of "type of society"

This concept implies a system of structural units (institutions, social groups, communities, etc.) that interact with each other and are interconnected based on certain social ideals, norms, values common to them.

There are different classifications of types of societies. The most elementary is their division into complex and simple. Her still in the 19th century suggested Herbert Spencer.

Spencer Classification

Answering a question about what stages society is going through in its development, this scientist has suggested that societies change over time from the state of so-called indefinite homogeneity to the opposite - a certain heterogeneity, with increasing integration and differentiation of the individual, social ties, culture. Immediately note that the division is very arbitrary. After all, even the simplest society is a very complex organism. Even less obvious is the fact that the societies related to the primitive society are organized much simpler than, for example, developed modern. Therefore Spencer's classification is very inaccurate.

Division of society into industrial and traditional

However, Spencer was not the only one who answered the question: "What stages does the society take in its development?" One of the most widespread classifications to date is the division of O. Comte, KA Saint-Simon, E. Durkheim and other sociologists into industrial and traditional ones. Usually the term "traditional society" is used to refer to stages of development that are precapitalistic. That is, the totality of people at this time has not yet developed industrial complex. It is based largely on the agricultural economy. Such a society is immobile in the social sphere. From generation to generation, traditional patterns of behavior and life forms are transmitted almost unchanged. The result of industrialization is an industrial society. It generates urbanization, mass literacy, professional specialization. Such a society relies mainly on the industrial economy. It has developed a system of socio-class and industrial division of labor. It is dynamic, characterized by constant technological and scientific and technological innovations and inventions, a high level of mobility.

Historical systems of Wallerstein

There are also other opinions about the stages in the development of society. A brief answer to this question, based on the opinion of I. Wallerstein, one of the leading Western sociologists of our time, can be given the following. This scientist considers it necessary to distinguish historical systems. Each of these systems is based on a certain type of division of labor. It develops various institutions (sociocultural, political, economic), which ultimately determine the implementation of the basic principles of this system, the socialization of groups and individuals. Wallerstein argues that it is possible to discover different types of historical systems. One of them is the capitalist world economy (modernist style) that has existed for about 500-600 years. The other is the Roman Empire. The third was represented by the Maya structures in Central America. There are a lot of small historical systems. From the point of view of this researcher, a real change in society occurs when the transition from one historical system to another begins. In this case, its disappearance is determined not by the action of various internal contradictions. The inefficiency of the way of functioning opens the way to other, more perfect ways.

Allocation of different types of societies allows researchers from different points of view, from different perspectives and in different aspects, to study social and historical development and view it as a multifaceted process, with a multitude of indicators and attributes.

The main socio-historical types of societies

If we summarize the above and other opinions of sociologists, as well as philosophers, economists and historians, we can outline briefly, in a schematic form, the following socio-historical types (stages of development of human society):

- existing at the expense of gathering of gifts of the nature and hunting of community of hunters and collectors;

- carrying out artificial cultivation of plants and processing of the earth agricultural societies;

- based on the breeding of different kinds of domestic animals, cattle;

- based mainly on craftsmanship and agricultural production traditional (it is in them that there are private property, cities, state power, classes, trade, writing);

- industrial societies based mainly on industrial machine production;

- replacing industrial postindustrial.

In the latter, as many authors note, economic production is based not so much on various physical goods as on information, knowledge, and services.

In general, this typology, describing the main stages of the development of society, is widely accepted by representatives of the humanities and social sciences of various countries. It is often used to build more specialized and detailed concepts of socio-historical development.

The concept of "civilization"

In sociology, social philosophy, and cultural studies also distinguish the types of cultural and social structure of societies with the help of the concept of "civilization". However, if the type of society primarily emphasizes the nature of social ties, relationships and structures, then civilization as a concept focuses on the spiritual, socio-cultural, religious characteristics of different societies.

Cultural-historical type

This term is also close to the term proposed in the 19th century by N. Ya. Danilevsky, a Russian sociologist and philosopher ("cultural-historical type"). This researcher among the first thinkers tried to escape from the generally accepted image of socio-historical development only as a linear, flat process. He believed that peoples form cultural-historical types, which differ significantly from one another. He considered the main criteria for distinguishing the types of "affinity of the language", territorial, religious, psychoethnographic unity, political independence, forms of economic activity, as well as some other signs. Danilevsky (pictured below) referred to the number of such types Assyro-Babylonian, Chinese, Egyptian, Iranian, Indian, Greek, Jewish, Arabian, Roman, European (German-Roman).

Each of them passes in its development stages of the life cycle, such as the inception, development, flowering, decline. After this, a new cultural-historical type is put on the forefront of the development of the history of our planet. According to Danilevsky, the formation of the Slavic civilization has been going on for several centuries. They are characterized by a modern stage of development of society. He predicted a great future for the Slavic civilization. The concept of Danilevsky, despite political conservatism and a number of theoretical naivety, is valuable in that it gives a nonlinear image of the historical development of society. It assumes the existence of historical digressions, zigzags, even significant destruction of previously accumulated cultural values.

A. Toynbee's opinion

Later the idea of cyclic development was continued in the works of O. Spengler, the German philosopher, and in particular A. Toynbee, an English historian. According Toynbee, every civilization (and he in the history of mankind numbered 21 civilizations, including 13 basic) in its development is a closed life cycle. It moves from birth to death and decay. Toynbee identified 5 main civilizations: Russian, Western, Islamic, Indian and Chinese. He paid special attention to the reasons why civilizations perish. Toynbee, in particular, believed that the bearer of the vitality of a culture, its "creative elite", is at some point unable to solve the emerging historical and socio-economic problems. It turns into a minority alienated from the population, which dominates over it not by the right of authority, but by the right of strong power. Ultimately, the researcher believes, these processes will destroy civilization.

Now you know what stages society undergoes in its economic development, according to A. Toynbee.

The concept of civilization in Soviet sociology

In the Russian sociology (and also generally in the humanities and social sciences) in recent years, the notion of civilization has become increasingly popular, when it is required to characterize socio-historical development. This is mainly due to the fact that the Marxist concept, which reigned supreme in Soviet social science, according to which socio-economic formations exist in history, was rejected by most social scientists as simplistic and unduly politicized. The concept of civilization is currently used in the domestic scientific literature in three basic meanings:

- the next stage of the socio-cultural development of society;

- socio-cultural type (Russian, European, Chinese, Japanese and other civilizations);

- as the highest level of technological, socio-economic, political and cultural development.

Back in school, for the first time, we get acquainted with the stages that society is taking in its development. Grade 8 is the time to study this issue. However, in school this topic is rather superficial. This article gave a detailed answer to the question of what stages society is going through. It can be used to prepare for classes and exams, not only schoolchildren, but also students.