Process of Social Change
Chapter 24
(OP Gauba | Political Theory)
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Language
Choose your preferred language
Process of Social Change
🎨 Reading Colors
Background
Text Color
Table of Contents
- I. NATURE OF SOCIAL CHANGE
- II. MARXIST THEORY OF REVOLUTION CHANGE
- III. LIBERAL THEORY OF INCREMENTAL CHANGE
I. NATURE OF SOCIAL CHANGE
- Change is inherent in society, and it undergoes constant transformation.
- Auguste Comte proposed the transition from a 'military society' to an 'industrial society' with the advancement of science.
- Herbert Spencer described political evolution as a shift from 'military society' to 'industrial society,' emphasizing differentiation and freedom.
- Henry Sumner Maine argued that progressive societies move from 'status' to 'contract,' signifying a shift from fixed positions to freedom in forming relationships.
- Ferdinand Tonnies introduced the transition from 'gemeinschaft' (community) to 'gesellschaft' (association), highlighting the shift from natural to rational will and enduring to contractual relationships.
- Emile Durkheim distinguished between 'mechanical solidarity' in less advanced societies and 'organic solidarity' in modern, advanced societies, emphasizing complementarities and division of labor.
- Max Weber identified the contrast between traditional and modern societies based on traditional authority versus legal-rational authority.
- In contemporary debates, Marxist theory emphasizes revolutionary change, while Liberal theory focuses on incremental change.