Description of an industrial society (briefly)

The classical characteristic of industrial society suggests that it is formed as a result of the development of machine production and the emergence of new forms of mass labor organization. Historically, this stage corresponded to the social situation in Western Europe in 1800-1960.

general characteristics

The universally recognized characteristic of an industrial society includes several fundamental features. What are they? First, industrial society is based on developed industry. It has a division of labor that contributes to increased productivity. An important feature is competition. Without it, the characterization of an industrial society would be incomplete.

Capitalism leads to the fact that the entrepreneurial activity of brave and initiative people is actively growing. At the same time, civil society is developing, as well as the state management system. It becomes more efficient and more complex. An industrial society cannot be imagined without modern means of communication, urbanized cities and the high quality of life of the average citizen.

Technology development

Any characteristic of an industrial society, in short, includes a phenomenon such as the industrial revolution. It was she who allowed Britain the first in human history to cease to be an agricultural country. When the economy begins to rely not on the cultivation of crops, but on a new industry, the first germs of industrial society appear.

In this case, there is a noticeable redistribution of labor resources. The labor force leaves agriculture and goes into the city to factories. In the agricultural sector, up to 15% of the state’s inhabitants remain. Urban population growth also boosts trade.

In production, the main factor is entrepreneurial activity. In the presence of this phenomenon is the characteristic of an industrial society. Briefly, this relationship was first described by the Austrian and American economist Joseph Schumpeter. On this path, society at some point is undergoing a scientific and technological revolution. After this begins the post-industrial period, which is already up to date.

Free society

Along with the advent of industrialization, society becomes socially mobile. This allows people to destroy the framework that exists in the traditional order characteristic of the Middle Ages and the agricultural economy. In the state, the boundaries between the estates are eroded. The caste disappears in them. In other words, people can get rich and become successful thanks to their efforts and skills, without looking back at their own origin.

The characteristic of industrial society is significant economic growth, which is due to an increase in the number of highly qualified specialists. In society, in the first place are technicians and scientists who determine the future of the country. This order is also called technocracy or the power of technology. The work of traders, advertising specialists and other people occupying a special position in the social structure becomes more significant and significant.

The folding of nation states

Scientists have determined that the main characteristics of an industrial society come down to the fact that the industrial and technological order becomes dominant in all areas of life from culture to economics. Along with urbanization and changes in social stratification, the emergence of nation states, folded around a common language. Also, a unique ethnos culture plays an important role in this process.

In medieval agrarian society, the national factor was not so significant. In the Catholic kingdoms of the XIV century, belonging to a particular feudal lord was much more important. Even armies existed on a hiring basis. And only in the 19th century did the principle of national recruitment into the state armed forces take shape.

Demography

The demographic situation is changing. What is the characteristic of industrial society hiding here? Signs of change are reduced to a decrease in the birth rate in one average family. People devote more time to their own education; standards regarding the presence of offspring are changing. All this affects the number of children in one classic “cell of society”.

But at the same time, the mortality rate is falling. This is due to the development of medicine. Doctors and medicines are becoming more affordable for a wider population. Life expectancy is increasing. The population dies more in old age than in youth (for example, from illness or war).

Consumer society

The enrichment of people in the industrial era led to the emergence of a consumer society. The main motive for the labor of its members is the desire to buy and acquire as much as possible. A new value system is emerging that is built around the importance of material wealth.

The term was coined by the German sociologist Erich Fromm. In this context, he emphasized the importance of reducing the length of the working day, increasing the share of free time, and also blurring the boundaries between classes. This is this characteristic of an industrial society. The table shows the main features of this period of human development.

Mass culture

The classical characteristic of industrial society by spheres of life says that consumption increases in each of them. Production begins to focus on the standards that define the so-called mass culture. This phenomenon is one of the most striking signs of an industrial society.

What does it consist of? Mass culture formulates the basic psychological principles of a consumer society in the industrial era. Art is becoming accessible to all. It voluntarily or involuntarily promotes certain norms of behavior. They can be called fashion or lifestyle. In the West, the heyday of mass culture was accompanied by its commercialization and the creation of show business.

John Gelbraith Theory

Industrial society has been thoroughly studied by many scientists of the XX century. One of the foremost economists in this series is John Gelbraith. He substantiated several fundamental laws with the help of which the characteristic of an industrial society is formulated. At least 7 provisions of his theory became fundamental for new economic schools and currents of our time.

Gelbraith believed that the development of industrial society led not only to the establishment of capitalism, but also to the creation of monopolies. Large corporations in the economic conditions of the free market gain wealth and absorb competitors. They control production, trade, capital, as well as progress in science and technology.

Strengthening the economic role of the state

An important characteristic of industrial society at the beginning of the 20th century, according to the theory of John Gelbraith, is that in a country with a similar system of relations, the state intensifies its intervention in the economy. Prior to that, in the agrarian era of the Middle Ages, the authorities simply did not have the resources to radically influence the market. In an industrial society, the situation is completely opposite.

The economist in his own way noted the development of technology in a new era. By this term he meant the application of systematized new knowledge in production. The requirements of the scientific and technological revolution lead to the fact that corporations and the state triumph in the economy. This is due to the fact that they become the owners of unique scientific production developments.

At the same time, Gelbraith believed that under industrial capitalism the capitalists themselves lost their former influence. Now the availability of money did not mean power and importance at all. Instead of owners, scientific and technical specialists come to the fore who can offer new modern inventions and production methods. This is this characteristic of an industrial society. According to Gelbraith’s plan, the former working class is being eroded under these conditions. The aggravated relations between the proletarians and capitalists come to naught due to technological progress and equalization of incomes of graduates.