What are the criteria for social progress? Social change and social progress

2. Global society.

3. Modernization of society.

1. Social changes, their forms. Various social processes continuously occur in society, which can lead to the emergence of new elements and the disappearance of previously existing ones. In the process of development of society, two main models of behavior of social systems are visible - evolution and revolution.

Main sources of development social processes- these are contradictions. At the same time, contradictions are identified: antagonistic and non-antagonistic, internal and external, resolved peacefully and by means of violence and armed struggle.

If we present a model of society on a diagram, we can identify the core ( basic system spiritual, ethical and aesthetic values), the central area (the sphere of economics, science, technology) and the outer shell (the political and legal spheres). Development social system can come from the outside when the political sphere provokes cultural mutations. Usually the initiative comes from other civilizations. Another path is also possible: through natural changes in one’s own culture to changes in the economy and the corresponding political and legal design. The first path is revolutionary, the path of aggression against a foreign culture. The second is the evolutionary path of progressive transition from a lower stage to a higher one, a traditional and humane path.

The global, world-historical process of the ascent of human societies from a state of savagery to the heights of civilization is called social progress . This generalizing concept includes economic, technical and cultural progress as its constituent parts. The foundation of social progress is technical.

In cases where the acceleration of history leads to negative consequences, it is more correct to say about regression. It marks retrograde movement society, retreat from conquered positions, return to the previous level. The difference between progress and regression is not only in the vector of movement, but also in scale. If progress is a global process that characterizes the movement of human society throughout historical time, then regression is a local process that covers individual societies and short periods of time. Never before has humanity as a whole regressed, although its forward movement may have been delayed and stopped.

There are gradual and spasmodic types of social progress. The first one is called reformist, second - revolutionary.

What are reform and revolution?

Reform - partial improvement in any area of life, a series of gradual transformations that do not affect the foundations of the existing social system.

Revolution - complete or comprehensive change of all or majority of parties public life, affecting the foundations of the existing social system. She wears jumpy character and represents the transition of society from one qualitative state to another.

The reforms are called social, if they concern transformations in those areas of society or those aspects of public life that are directly related to people, reflected in their level and lifestyle, health, participation in public life, access to social benefits. Changing the rules for using long-distance telephones, railway transport or metro affects the interests of citizens. But such reforms are hardly called social. On the contrary, the introduction of universal secondary education, health insurance, and unemployment benefits do not simply affect our interests. Such reforms concern social status numerous segments of the population, limit or expand access to social benefits for millions of people - education, health care, employment, guarantees.

Along with social ones, there are economic And political reforms. The transition of the economy to market relations, privatization, the law on bankruptcy of enterprises, the new tax system - examples economic reforms. Changing the constitution, forms of voting in elections, expanding civil liberties, and moving from a monarchy to a republic are examples of political reforms.

Reforms always occur “from above”, carried out by the government, albeit under pressure from the broad masses of the population. What about revolutions?

Revolution- This a collection of a large number or complex of reforms carried out simultaneously with the aim of changing the foundations of the social system.

The October Revolution in 1917 was carried out precisely for this purpose, as a result of which private property, the urban and rural bourgeoisie were destroyed, freedom of speech and political rights of citizens were eliminated, the system of distribution of social benefits changed, in a word - the foundations of the existing system.

A revolution may concern one or more societies in this period time. Revolutions happen short-term And long-term.

The longest process in human history was the so-called neolithic revolution, which represented a qualitative leap from gathering to agriculture. Neolithic Revolution began 10 thousand years ago and lasted in some regions of the world for 3 thousand years, and in others - 8 thousand years. During this time, advanced agricultural-urban civilizations emerged in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, Greece and the Middle East. Thanks to the agricultural revolution, man ceased to be a nomad.

It dramatically changed human living conditions and increased the productivity of social labor.

The second global process is called industrial revolution XVIII-XX centuries She also played outstanding role in human history, led to the change of one economic system(feudalism) by another (capitalism), one technical structure (manufacture) by another (machine production).

Changes in the mode of production changed the social structure of society and led to the formation of new classes - capitalists and proletarians.

Let's take modern society. End of the 20th century brought a person to such boundaries beyond which complete new stage his stories. This is the age of technical achievements, man for the first time, overcoming the force of gravity, broke into space, means of transport and communication have reduced time and distances. Humanity is turning into single organism, there are some general standards behavior, government structure.

At the same time, the problem of preserving life on Earth has become a reality. The idea that changes in the world occur in the direction from lower to higher, from less perfect to more perfect, which arose in ancient times, opposed the concepts of regression (a descending line of development from the ancient “golden” age - Hesiod, Seneca), as well as theories cyclical cycle, repeating the same stages (Plato, Aristotle).

Social progress. The problem with his criterion. The idea of progress began to take hold in science with XVII-XVIII centuries(Bacon, Voltaire), it subsequently became generally accepted.

Social progress should be understood as one of the forms of development of society, based on such irreversible changes in it, as a result of which a transition to a higher level of material production and well-being of people is carried out and the human personality develops.

P. L. Lavrov: “Progress, as the meaning of history, is realized in the growth and consolidation of solidarity, insofar as it does not interfere with the development of conscious processes and motives of action in individuals, just as in the expansion and clarification of conscious processes and motives of action in individuals, since this does not prevent the growth and consolidation of solidarity between as many individuals as possible." On the other hand, the trend of increasing “individualization of society” (Zigmund Bauman) is very clearly visible.

Scientific and technological progress (mechanization and automation) determines other aspects of progress: urbanization, growth of culture and leisure opportunities, medical progress, improved nutrition, reduced mortality and prolongation of life. All these aspects of progress are closely interconnected.

However, the attitude towards the results of social progress in science is far from clear. A number of scientists believe that hopes for limitless progress, which forms the core of the “new religion” designed to replace the City of God with the Earthly City, have not been justified. All larger number people are beginning to realize that:

Unlimited gratification of desires is not the path to happiness or even to maximum pleasure;

Economic progress has reached only a limited number of wealthy nations, and the gap between rich and poor is widening;

We did not become independent masters of our lives, but became cogs in a bureaucratic machine;

Technological progress has created environmental hazards and the threat of nuclear war;

Man, having turned into a superman, endowed with superhuman strength, has not yet risen to the level of superhuman intelligence.

E. Fromm and a number of other authors see the reason for such disappointing consequences of progress in the industrial system itself, in the fact that its psychological premises are selfishness, egoism, greed, which are generated by this system and do not at all lead to harmony and peace. People are increasingly attracted to everything mechanical and lifeless, and the thirst for destruction is increasingly seized by them. It turns out to be a forgotten person who is rejected from society, lost in the modern industrial world. Personality crisis is one of the most difficult problems generated by modern civilization, the modern industrial world.

Characteristic feature modern world is its multipolarity, segmentation. Humanity realizes itself in various types of societies, ethnic communities, cultural spaces, religious beliefs, spiritual traditions - all these are poles, segments of world civilization. The integrity of the world does not contradict its multipolarity. There are values that we consider universal: morality; a way of life worthy of the humane essence of man; kindness; spiritual beauty, etc. But there are values that belong to certain societies or social communities: classes, nations, generations, strata, individuals, etc. In a rational society, we should talk about a harmonious combination of both.

The modern world is also characterized by inconsistency. The contradictions of the modern world give rise to global problems for humanity, that is, those problems that affect the vital interests of all peoples of the planet and pose a threat to its survival, and therefore require an urgent solution, and through the efforts of the peoples of all countries. Among the most serious global problems are the problems of preventing global carnage, environmental catastrophe, developing and improving education and healthcare, providing the world's population with natural resources (raw materials, food, energy sources) or finding their substitutes, overcoming the growing gap in the level and income of different countries, eliminating hunger, poverty, etc.

Before our eyes, the main forms of use of armed violence are changing. Along with wars (according to UNESCO estimates, there are at least 50 of them being waged in the world), the escalation of terrorism is growing. With the help of warfare today it is possible to destroy life on Earth many times over. However, this terrible load, destructive for the biosphere, remains mostly potential, which cannot be said about the load associated with people’s labor activity. The latter is currently close to critical and in the near future can lead to the destruction of the biosphere - not as lightning fast as in a war, and therefore perhaps even more painful. The modern environmental crisis is expressed in climate change; in the pollution of nature - water (Aral, Baikal, etc.), land, air; in the thinning of the ozone layer.

We will give just a few examples that, without any comment, show the extreme alarmingness of the situation and the need for human action to save the environment. Natural resources: in the 40 years after World War II, as much mineral raw materials were used as in the entire previous history; stocks mineral resources According to scientists, they will be depleted in a few decades. Forest: its deforestation is 18 times greater than its growth. Soil: 1 cm of black soil accumulates in 300 years, but now dies in 3 years. Ocean: oil spills, waste containing phosphorus, lead, radioactive elements, which per 1 sq. km of surface is 17 tons. Fresh water: 80% of all diseases are caused by poor quality water. Air: 115 million passenger cars in the USA alone absorb oxygen and emit harmful substances - approximately 150 million tons. One of the environmental problems is climate warming. Currently, the temperature on the planet is 2.6 degrees higher than 100 years ago. By the end of the next century it could increase by 5.5 degrees. Under the influence of global warming, sea level will rise by 0.5-2 m. This will cause enormous damage to most countries.

The history of mankind teaches us that there has always been a need to harmonize human activity with the capabilities of nature. The fate of society is largely determined by what happens around us according to laws beyond our control. 2.5 thousand years ago, an environmental crisis was brewing in Southern China: the population was growing rapidly, but food resources were not increasing. A man found a way out: he discovered an effective technology for irrigated rice cultivation. They began to plant rice in fields completely filled with water. In addition, fish began to be raised in the checks, which relieved the labor of weeding rice plantations, fertilized the soil, and served as food. New harmonious relationships between man and nature have emerged. The crisis was lifted, and on this basis an amazing civilization arose. Decide environmental problem forces of humanity, but for this it must regulate the activities of society, coordinate the “strategy of society” and the “strategy of nature,” and take into account the peculiarities of the development of natural systems. And then society will gain stability in its development, reach the flourishing of economic activity, technology, art, and the manifestation of human creative individuality.

Lecture:

Concepts of progress, regression, stagnation

The individual and society as a whole tend to strive for the best. Our fathers and grandfathers worked so that we could live better than them. In turn, we must take care of the future of our children. This desire of people contributes to social development, but it can proceed in both a progressive and regressive direction.

Social progress- this is the direction social development from lower to higher, from less perfect to more perfect.

The term "social progress" is associated with the terms "innovation" and "modernization". Innovation is an innovation in any area that leads to its qualitative growth. And modernization is the updating of machines, equipment, technical processes to bring them in line with the requirements of the time.

Social regression- this is the opposite direction of progress of social development from higher to lower, less perfect.

For example, population growth is progress, and its opposite, population decline, is regression. But there may be a period in the development of society when there are neither shifts nor recessions. This period is called stagnation.

Stagnation- a stagnant phenomenon in the development of society.

Criteria social progress

In order to assess the presence of social progress and its effectiveness, there are criteria. The most important of them are:

Education and literacy of people.

The degree of their morality and tolerance.

Democracy of society and the quality of realization of the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Level of scientific and technical innovation.

The level of labor productivity and the welfare of the people.

Life expectancy level, population health status.

Paths of social progress

In what ways can social progress be achieved? There are three such paths: evolution, revolution, reform. The word evolution translated from Latin means “unfolding”, revolution means “coup”, and reform means “transformation”.

Revolutionary path involves rapid fundamental changes in social and government foundations. This is the path of violence, destruction and sacrifice.

An integral part of social development is reform - legal transformations in any sphere of society, carried out on the initiative of authorities without affecting the existing foundations. Reforms can be both evolutionary and revolutionary in nature. For example, reforms Peter I were of a revolutionary nature (remember the decree on cutting the beards of the boyars). And Russia’s transition since 2003 to Bologna system education, for example, the introduction of the Federal State Educational Standard in schools, undergraduate and graduate levels in universities, is a reform of an evolutionary nature.

The contradictions of social progress

The directions of social development listed above (progress, regression) occur interconnectedly in history. Often progress in one area can be accompanied by regression in another, progress in one country by regression in others. P The following examples illustrate the contradictory nature of social progress:

The second half of the 20th century is marked by rapid progress in science - automation and computerization of production (progress). The development of this and other branches of science requires huge expenditures of electricity, heat and atomic energy. NTR supplied everything modern humanity to the brink environmental disaster(regression).

The invention of technical devices certainly makes a person’s life easier (progress), but negatively affects his health (regression).

The power of Macedonia - the country of Alexander the Great (progress) was based on the destruction of other countries (regression).

By studying history, we see how things change over time. different sides social life, one type of society replaces another.

Social changes

Various changes are constantly taking place in society. Some of them are being carried out before our eyes (they choose a new president, introduce social programs assistance to families or the poor, legislation changes).

Social changes are characterized by their direction; they can be positive ( positive changes for the better), they are called progress, and negative (negative changes for the worse) are called regression.

We advise you to remember!
Social progress - consistent positive changes in society; the process of its ascent from one historical stage to another, the development of society from simple to complex, from less developed forms to more developed ones.
Social regression is the movement of society back to lower levels of development.

Let's turn to historical example. The Roman Empire developed progressively over hundreds of years. New buildings were erected, architecture, poetry and theater developed, legislation was improved, and new territories were conquered. But during the era of the Great Migration, barbarian nomadic tribes destroyed the Roman Empire. Livestock and poultry were grazed on the ruins of ancient palaces; aqueducts no longer supplied fresh water to the cities. Illiteracy reigned where arts and crafts had previously flourished. Progress gave way to regression.

Paths of social progress

Progress is being made different ways and ways. There are gradual and spasmodic types of social progress. The first is called reformist, the second - revolutionary.

We advise you to remember!
Reform is a partial gradual improvement in any area; transformation carried out by legislative means.
Revolution is a complete change in all or most aspects of social life, affecting the foundations of the existing social system.

The first revolution in human history was the so-called Neolithic revolution, which represented a qualitative leap, a transition from an appropriating economy (hunting and gathering) to a producing economy (agriculture and cattle breeding). The Neolithic revolution began 10 thousand years ago. It was a global revolution - it swept the whole world.

Second global process there was an industrial revolution in the 18th-19th centuries. It also played an outstanding role in human history, leading to the spread of machine production and the replacement of an agrarian society with an industrial one.

Global revolutions affect all spheres of society and many countries, and therefore lead to qualitative changes.

Revolutions taking place in all spheres of people’s lives also lead to reorganization in individual countries. A similar thing happened to Russia after October revolution 1917, when the Soviets of Workers' and Peasants' Deputies came to power. Authorities have changed, entire social groups(For example, nobility), but new ones appeared - Soviet intelligentsia, collective farmers, party workers, etc.

Reforms are partial changes that affect not the entire society, but certain areas of it.

Reforms, as a rule, do not affect all countries, but each one separately, since this is an internal matter of the state. Reforms are carried out by the government, are transparent, are planned in advance, the general population is involved in their discussion, and the progress of the reform is covered by the press.

Interesting Facts
One of the greatest reformers in history was Byzantine emperor Justinian I (527-565) - He established a commission to create a body of Roman law (in Latin - Corpus juris civilis) with the aim of replacing outdated laws. It was also necessary to eliminate contradictions in legislation. When the Justinian Code was created, all laws not included in it became invalid. Still Roman law is the basis of the civil law of the majority modern countries(including Russia).

Today our country is undergoing an education reform, which began back in the 1990s and led to the emergence of new textbooks, examination Unified State Examination systems, state educational standards.

Clever idea
“Progress is a way of human existence.”
- - Victor Hugo, French writer - -

The impact of technological progress on society

The basis for the development of society is technical progress- improvement of tools and technology, as it changes production, quality and productivity of labor, has an impact on humans, on the relationship between society and nature.

Technical progress has a long history of development. About 2 million years ago, the first tools appeared (remember what they were), from which technical progress began. Approximately 8-10 thousand years ago, our ancestors moved from gathering and hunting to agriculture and cattle breeding, and about 6 thousand years ago, people began to live in cities, specialize in certain types of labor, and divided into social classes. In the second half of the 17th century, with the beginning industrial revolution, the era of industrial factories opened, and in the 20th century - computers, the Internet, thermonuclear energy, and space exploration. Modern Personal Computer superior in performance computing centers 80-90 years of the last century.

What replaced the forge (1), plow (2), pen and inkwell (3)? Can we talk about social progress in these cases?

Perhaps no other society has valued innovation as highly as the modern one. In the 20th century, unique inventions were made: electricity, radio, television, cars, airplanes, nuclear power, rocket science, computers, laser technology and robots. Each new invention, in turn, led to the creation of even more advanced generations of technology.

Technological progress also affected the social sphere. Technical devices make a person’s life much easier, help people solve everyday problems (cook food, clean the apartment, do laundry, etc.), come to the aid of people with disabilities health. The advent of the automobile radically changed ideas about the place of work and residence, and made it possible for a person to live many kilometers from his workplace. People have become more mobile, including teenagers, who, thanks to the Internet, began to communicate with their peers from geographically distant places.

Technological progress has changed the lives of millions of people, but at the same time it has created many problems. Active human intervention in nature has led to many negative consequences: many species of plants and animals are disappearing or are on the verge of extinction, forests are being cut down, industrial enterprises pollute water, air and soil. The conveniences of city life are accompanied by air pollution, transport fatigue, etc.

Let's sum it up
Social progress is the movement of humanity from lower to lower higher levels. It has a global character, covering the whole world. On the contrary, regression is a temporary retreat from the conquered positions. Revolutions and reforms are two types of social progress. Revolutions can be global or limited to one or several countries. Reforms are carried out only in one society and are gradual.

Basic terms and concepts
Social progress social regression, reforms, revolution, technical progress.

Test your knowledge

Give examples social changes. Do changes in social life always lead to positive consequences? Justify your answer.
Explain the meaning of the concepts: “social progress”, “social regression”, “reform”, “revolution”, “technical progress”.
Pick up keywords characterizing social progress, social regression, revolutions, reforms.
Give examples from history that illustrate different ways social progress.
How do you think wars influence the development of society? Do they serve a progressive or regressive role? Explain your answer.

Workshop

Are you already familiar with the concept? social dynamics? Society does not stand still, constantly changing directions of its development. Is society really increasing the pace of its development, what is its direction? We’ll look at how to answer it correctly in task 25 after the topic.

“Progress is movement in a circle, but more and more quickly”

I thought so American writer Leonard Levinson.

To begin with, let us remember that we already know the concept and it and have also worked on the topic

Let us remember that one of the signs is development, movement. Society is constantly in the process of change; the institutions it needs are developing, making them more complex. Undemanded institutions are dying out. We have already traced the development of the institute

Let's look at others important institutions– let’s present their development and social demand for them in the form of a table:

Social dynamics are expressed in various directions of development of society.

Progress– progressive development of society, expressed in complication social structure.

Regression– degradation of social structure and public relations (the opposite term to PROGRESS, its antonym).

The concepts of PROGRESS AND REGRESS are very conditional; what is characteristic of the development of one society cannot be acceptable for another. Let us remember that in Ancient Sparta weak newborn boys were simply thrown off the cliff, because they could not become wars. Today this custom looks barbaric to us.

Evolution– gradual development of society (the opposite term to REVOLUTION, its antonym). One of its forms is reform– a change emanating from and changing relationships in one of the spheres (For example, agrarian reform P.A. Stolypin). REVOLUTION in the sense comes from

Social dynamics is the subject of study of one of the sciences about SOCIETY - social. There are two main approaches to the study of society.

According to Marx, every society must go through all stages of development and arrive at (linearity of development). Civilizational approach provides alternative paths for each parallel existence societies with different levels development, which is more consistent modern realities. It is this approach that is most in demand in the context of Unified State Examination tasks.

Let's try to compare the three types of societies according to various important parameters in the form of a table:

And we conclude that in historical development There are three main types of society:

Traditional society – historical type of civilization based on both the predominance and

Industrial society – historical type of civilization based on the introduction of the elimination of monarchical political system Middle Ages.

Post-industrial (information) society – a modern type of civilization based on the dominance (of computers in production, the result of the 20th century.

Thus, today we worked on the following important topics from

The concept of social progress;
Multivariate social development (types of societies).

And now PRACTICUM! LET'S CONSOLIDATE THE KNOWLEDGE WE GOT TODAY!

We carry out

exercise 25. What meaning do social scientists put into the concept of “criterion of progress”? Attracting knowledge social science course, make two sentences: one sentence revealing the features of progress, and one sentence containing information about the criterion(s) for determining progress.

First, let's not make the most common mistake associated with this task. What is required from us is not two sentences, but a CONCEPT and 2 SENTENCES (three in total!). So, we remembered the concept of progress - the progressive development of society, its movement forward. Let's choose a synonym for the word criterion - measure, yardstick. Respectively:
The “criterion of progress” is a measure by which the degree of development of society is judged.

1. A feature of progress is its inconsistency; all criteria for progress are subjective.

And, we remember that although the degree of development of society can be measured in different ways (there are many approaches - the level of development of science, technology and technology, the degree of democracy, generally accepted single criterion- humaneness of society). So:

2. The universal criterion for determining progress is the degree of humanity of society, the ability to provide maximum conditions for development to each person.

So this is what our response looks like:

25. The “criterion of progress” is a measure by which the degree of development of society is judged.

A feature of progress is its inconsistency; all criteria for progress are subjective.
The universal criterion for determining progress is the degree of humanity of society, the ability to provide maximum conditions development for every person.

Any development is a movement forward or backward. Likewise, society can develop either progressively or regressively, and sometimes both of these processes are characteristic of society, only in various fields life. What is progress and regression?

Progress

Progress- from from lat. progressus - movement forward, This is a direction in the development of society, which is characterized by movement from lower to higher, from less perfect to more perfect, this forward movement forward, for the better.

Social progress- this is a world-historical process, which is characterized by the ascent of humanity from primitiveness (savagery) to civilization, which is based on achievements scientific and technical, political and legal, moral and ethical.

Types of progress in society

Social	Development of society along the path of justice, creation of conditions for comprehensive development personality, for him a decent life, combating the reasons that impede this development.
Material	The process of satisfying the material needs of humanity, which is based on the development of science, technology, and improving people's living standards.
Scientific	Deepening knowledge of the surrounding world, society and people, further development of micro- and macrocosmos.
Scientific and technical	The development of science is aimed at developing technology, improving the production process, and its automation.
Cultural (spiritual)	The development of morality, the formation of conscious altruism, the gradual transformation of a person - a consumer into human creator, self-development and personal improvement.

Progress criteria

Question about progress criteria(that is signs, reasons, allowing one to judge phenomena as progressive) has always caused ambiguous answers in different historical eras. I will give some points of view regarding the criteria for progress.

Thinkers	Perspectives on progress criteria
J. Condorcet	Development of the human mind
Voltaire	The development of enlightenment, the triumph of the human mind.
C. Montesquieu	Improving country legislation
C. Saint-Simon C. Fourier, R. Owen	No exploitation of man by man, happiness of people.
G. Hegel	The maturity of freedom of society.
A. Herzen, N. Chernyshevsky, V. Belinsky, N. Dobrolyubov	Spreading education, developing knowledge.
K.Marx	Development of production, mastery of nature, replacement of one formation by another.

Modern criteria for progress are not so clear. There are many of them, together they indicate progressive development society.

Criteria for social progress of modern scientists:

Development of production, the economy as a whole, increase in human freedom in relation to nature, living standards of people, growth of people's well-being, quality of life.
Level of democratization of society.
The level of freedom enshrined in law, the opportunities provided for the comprehensive development and self-realization of the individual, the reasonable use of freedom.
Moral improvement of society.
The development of enlightenment, science, education, the increase in human needs for scientific, philosophical, aesthetic knowledge of the world.
Life expectancy of people.
Increasing human happiness and goodness.

However, progress is not only a positive thing. Unfortunately, humanity both creates and destroys. Skillful, conscious use of the achievements of the human mind is also one of the criteria for the progress of society.

The contradictions of social progress

Positive and Negative consequences progress	Examples
Progress in some areas can lead to stagnation in others.	A striking example is the period of Stalinism in the USSR. In the 1930s, a course was set for industrialization, and the pace of industrial development increased sharply. However social sphere developed poorly, light industry worked on the residual principle. The result is a significant deterioration in people’s quality of life.
Fruit scientific progress can be used both for the benefit and harm of people.	Development information systems, the Internet is greatest achievement humanity, opening up wide opportunities for it. However, at the same time computer addiction appears, a person goes into virtual world, a new disease has appeared - “computer gaming addiction”.
Making progress today can lead to negative consequences in the future.	An example is the development of virgin lands during the reign of N. Khrushchev. At first a rich harvest was indeed obtained, but after a while soil erosion appeared.
Progress water country does not always lead to progress in another.	Let's remember the state Golden Horde. This was at the beginning of the 13th century huge empire with numerous troops, advanced military equipment. However, progressive phenomena in given state became a disaster for many countries, including Rus', which was under the yoke of the horde for more than two hundred years.

Summarizing, I would like to note that humanity has a characteristic desire to move forward, opening up new and new opportunities. However, it is necessary to remember, and scientists first of all, what will be the consequences of such a progressive movement whether it will turn into a disaster for people. Therefore it is necessary to reduce to a minimum negative consequences progress.

Regression

The opposite path of social development to progress is regression(from Latin regressus, that is, movement in reverse side, return back) - movement from more perfect to less perfect, from more higher forms development to the lower, movement back, change for the worse.

Signs of regression in society

Deterioration in people's quality of life
Decline in the economy, crisis phenomena
Increase in human mortality, decrease in average standard of living
Deterioration demographic situation, decreased birth rate
An increase in the incidence of people, epidemics, a large percentage of the population having

Chronic diseases.

The decline in morality, education, and culture of society as a whole.
Resolving issues using forceful, declarative methods and means.
Reducing the level of freedom in society, its violent suppression.
Weakening of the country as a whole and its international position.

Solving problems related to regressive processes society is one of the tasks of the government, the country’s leadership. IN democratic state walking along the path civil society, which is Russia, great importance I have public organizations, people's opinion. Problems need to be solved, and solved together - by the authorities and the people.

Material prepared by: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna