Types of Societies

By: Sarah Utchel & Lauren Labadie

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Table of Contents
Page 3- Preindustrial Societies
Page 4- Hunter-Gatherer Societies
Page 5- Pastoral Societies
Page 6- Horticultural Societies
Page 7- Agricultural Societies
Page 8- Industrial Societies
Page 9- Postindustrial Societies
Page 10- Contrasting Societies
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Preindustrial Society
Characteristics of a Preindustrial Society:
* Food production is the main economic activity
* Can be subdivided according to their level of technology and method
of producing food (Hunter-gatherer, Pastoral, Horticultural)
* Developed largely in rural communities
* Limited production
* Primarily an agricultural economy
Typical Day:
If you are a member of a Preindustrial society your typical day
would include harvesting crops. No matter what age you are, you
helped harvest crops as well as take care of the animals that help
with harvesting. In a Preindustrial society, members in villages would
be split up according to their amount of technology. If you were a
member of a Preindustrial society, you could be apart of another
smaller society within the big society. These could include being a
hunter-gatherer, pastoral, or horticultural.

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Hunter-Gatherer Society
Characteristics of a Hunter-Gatherer Society:
* Move around constantly in search of food
* Dont build permanent villages or create wide variety of artifacts
* Limited size of society (rarely exceed 100 people)
* Statuses within society relatively equal
* Decisions made through general agreement
* Family is the main social unit and carry out most social functions
Typical Day:
A normal day for a person living in a Hunter-Gatherer society
would include arriving at a new location to search for food. While
searching for food, other members of the society would be building
temporary homes for the small village. Duties would also include
waking up every morning and doing your specialized job. If you were
a women, this normally included gathering fruits and berries for the
family while the men went and hunted for meat. When the village
needs to gure out where to move to next, a member of the village
would be included in the decision.
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Pastoral Society
Characteristics of a Pastoral Society:
* More efcient
* Rely on domesticated herd animals for food
* Live a nomadic life
* Can support larger societies
* Fewer people needed to produce food
* Division of labor
* Production of goods encourages trade which creates inequality
Typical Day:
When living in a Pastoral society, a typical day could include
taking care of the herds of animals used as food. There are many
different jobs within a Pastoral society, so a member could also
produce tools, weapons or jewelry. If you are a craftworker in the
society, you would be able to trade many of your goods that you
produce. By trading more goods you would become more wealthy thus
achieving a higher social status. When the pasture you are living on
has become scarce of sources you need, you would move your animals
and all your belongings to another pasture and settle there.
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Horticultural Society
Characteristics of a Horticultural Society:
* Garden plots are main food source
* Have a level of technology and complexity similar to pastoral
society
* Use human labor and simple tools to cultivate the land
* Stay in one place for long periods
* 30-2,000 people
* Division of labor
* Wide variety of artifacts
* Economic and political systems may be better developed due to
more settled life
Typical Day:
A typical day for a member of a Horticultural society could
include slashing and burning wild vegetation in order to make
fertilizer for your crops. Another job could be your specialized job
such as craftspeople or traders. During your day you can create many
different artifacts to trade as well as take care of the garden plots. If
you are a women you take care of the children in the family. If you are
a man you build houses, become a religious leader, or a trader in
order to provide for your family.
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Agricultural Society
Characteristics of agricultural society:
*Animals are used to pull plows to till the elds
*Irrigation increases crop production
*Most people work in food production
*Power is in the hands of a single individual and transferred from
generation to generation(hereditary monarchy)
*Efcient transportation helped increased trade
*Money was used rather than bartering
*Developed a system of writing to keep records
*Large difference in social status; landowner or peasant
Typical Day:
A typical day in the life of a peasant living in an agricultural society
would be waking up very early in the morning to go work in the elds.
The peasant would work from sun up to sun down for his landowner.
Peasants planted, tended and harvested crops with the help of
animals to pull the plows. Peasants were typically paid in food,
housing and very little money. What little money they did make was
highly taxed by the leaders.
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Industrial Society
Characteristics of industrial society:
*Shift from food production to manufactured goods production
*Production is by machines
*Less agricultural laborers and more production workers
*More machines and technology
*Urbanization occurred- people moved from rural areas to cities
where factory work was available
*Production process was divided into specic tasks or skills
*Social status was earned not inherited
Typical Day:
A typical day in the life of a factory worker was waking up early in
the morning to work 13 to 15 hours a day. Working in a factory was
different than working in the elds because the pace was much faster.
Factories were poorly lit, very loud and had bad air quality. Because
of the lack of training, serious injuries were very common if a person
could not work because of an injury they were red. Factory workers
worked for very little pay and lived in cramped housing in the cities.
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Postindustrial Society
Characteristics of postindustrial society:
*Economics is focused on information services(76%) rather than
manufacturing(27%) and agricultural(1%)
*Standard of living has improved with increased wages
*Strong emphasis on science and education
*Technological advances are seen as the way to get rich
*Search for personal fulllment
*Social equality and democracy
Typical Day:
A typical day in the life of a postindustrial person would be going to
work in an ofce-life atmosphere. Rather than working in elds or
factories, this person works in better conditions. They have a higher
education. They also have a desire to work hard and move up. They
earn better wages and have more time and money to do things they
enjoy.
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Contrasting Society
Characteristics:
Preindustrial
*Share common goals
*Close relationships
*Family oriented
Industrial
*No tradition values
*Self centered
*Not group/family oriented
*Short term relationships
Typical Day:
Social relationships are very different between preindustrial and
industrial societies. Preindustrial societies are also known as
mechanical solidarity or gemeinschaft. People worked hard and in
tough conditions. They worked together to reach a common goal.
Industrial societies are also known as organic solidarity or
gesellschaft. These people depend on others because they cannot
provide for all of their own needs. They are more centered on their
own needs than on group goals.
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