Features of reforms form social change. Social change

The concept " social change“denotes various changes that occur over a period of time within social systems and in the relationships between them, in society as a whole as a societal system.

Forms of social change:

Evolution in a broad sense, it is synonymous with development; more precisely, these are processes that in social systems lead to complexity, differentiation, and an increase in the level of organization of the system (although it happens the other way around). Evolution in the narrow sense includes only gradual quantitative changes, as opposed to qualitative changes, i.e. Revolutions.

Reform- transformation, change, reorganization of any aspect of social life or the entire social system. Reforms involve gradual changes in certain social institutions, spheres of life or the system as a whole. Reform may also be spontaneous, but it is always a process of gradual accumulation of some new elements and properties, as a result of which the entire social system or its important aspects change. As a result of the process of accumulation, new elements are born, appear and strengthen. This process is called innovation. Then comes the selection of innovations, consciously or spontaneously, through which elements of the new are fixed in the system and others are, as it were, “culled out.”

Revolutions represent the most striking manifestation of social change. They mark fundamental changes in historical processes, transform human society from the inside and literally “plow up” people. They leave nothing unchanged; old eras end and new ones begin. At the time of revolutions, society reaches its peak of activity; there is an explosion of its self-transformation potential. In the wake of revolutions, societies seem to be born anew. In this sense, revolutions are a sign of social health.

Revolutions differ from other forms of social change in their features. 1. They affect all levels and spheres of society: economics, politics, culture, social organization, daily life of individuals. 2. In all these areas, revolutionary changes are radical, fundamental in nature, permeating the foundations of the social structure and functioning of society. 3. The changes caused by revolutions are extremely rapid, they are like unexpected explosions in the slow flow of the historical process. 4. For all these reasons, revolutions are the most characteristic manifestations of change; the time of their accomplishments is exceptional and therefore especially memorable. 5. Revolutions cause unusual reactions in those who participated in them or witnessed them. This is an explosion of mass activity, this is enthusiasm, excitement, uplifting mood, joy, optimism, hope; a feeling of strength and power, of fulfilled hopes; finding the meaning of life and utopian visions of the near future. 6. They tend to rely on violence.

Social modernization. Modernization refers to progressive social changes, as a result of which the social system improves the parameters of its functioning. For example, the process of transforming a traditional society into an industrial one is usually called modernization. The reforms of Peter I, as a result of which Russia was supposed to reach the level of development of Western countries, also implied modernization. “Modernization” in this sense means achieving certain “world standards” or a “modern” level of development.

40CLASSIFICATION OF SOCIAL PROCESSES

Social processes are closely related to changes in society. Thus, any progress can be considered as a social process consisting of a certain number of social and cultural changes.

By social process we mean a set of unidirectional and repeating social actions that can be distinguished from many other social actions. The processes taking place in society are extremely diverse.

For example, there are global processes (death, birth, etc.), processes relating to certain types of human activity, and many others.

From the whole variety of social processes, it is advisable to highlight those processes that are universal and are constantly present in all or many types of human activity. Such processes include the processes of cooperation, competition, adaptation, assimilation, mobility, conflict, etc.

One of the most important processes in human society is the processes cooperation and competition .

During the processes of cooperation, members of a society or social group structure their actions in such a way as to contribute to the achievement of both their goals and the goals of other individuals. The nature of the process of cooperation lies in the social nature of man; joint actions of people were a necessary condition for the survival of each member of the social group. The basis of any cooperation process is the coordinated actions of people and the achievement of common goals. This also requires such elements of behavior as mutual understanding, coordination of actions, and the establishment of rules of cooperation. The main meaning of cooperation is mutual benefit. Of great importance for successful cooperation is the ability of individuals to engage in cooperative relationships with other people. Every modern organization includes management actions to create acceptable conditions for cooperation between members of this organization.

Competition is an attempt to achieve greater rewards by alienating or outpacing a rival striving for identical goals. Competition, as a rule, occurs in conditions of scarcity of resources or unequal distribution of resources between members of society. In this regard, competition is one of the methods of distributing rewards in modern society. Competition can manifest itself both at the personal level and be impersonal. This social process is based on the fact that people always strive to satisfy their desires to a greater extent. Modern society is trying to develop certain rules in which competition should take place. If there are no rules of competition, competition can easily turn into social conflict, which greatly complicates the management of the social process.

Social movements: ways to study them
A special type of social processes are social movements. According to the definition of the American sociologist R. Turner, a social movement is a set of collective social actions aimed at supporting social change or supporting resistance to social change in a society or social group.

This definition brings together a wide range of social movements, including religious, emigrant, youth, feminist, political, revolutionary, etc. Thus, even by their definition, social movements differ from social institutions or organizations.

When studying social movements, scientists examine:
conditions for the development and spread of social movements, which include cultural trends in society, the degree of social disorganization, social dissatisfaction with living conditions; structural preconditions for the emergence of social movements;
types and characteristics of social movements depending on the specifics of the group or society, as well as the nature of the changes occurring in society;
reasons for the involvement of the individual in social movements, including such phenomena as mobility, marginality of the individual, social isolation of the individual, change in personal social status, loss of family ties, personal dissatisfaction.

In modern society, any major social change is accompanied by the creation and subsequent activities of social movements. Thanks to social movements, many changes have been accepted in society and supported by a significant part of society members or social groups.

41 Socialization of personality

1. The concept of “socialization” is one of the key ones in the work of an organizer of work with youth. It is widely used in philosophy, psychology, sociology and pedagogy. However, an unambiguous definition has not been developed.

Socialization- the process, as well as the result of a person’s assimilation of the experience of social life and social relations, which provides him with adaptation in his contemporary society.

In the process of socialization, a person acquires beliefs, socially approved forms of behavior, and social interaction skills.

We can talk about a socialized and desocialized personality.

Socialization is a two-way process. On the one hand, the individual assimilates social experience by entering the social environment, on the other hand, he actively reproduces the system of social connections, transforming both the social environment and himself.

A person not only perceives social experience and masters it, but transforms it into his own values, attitudes, and positions.

Socialization essentially begins from the moment of birth and continues throughout life, as a person moves from one social group to another (unemployed, refugees, pensioners).

Socialization is both typical and isolated:

Socialization in one or another social group proceeds in a similar way

Socialization is influenced by a person’s individual characteristics.

The concept of “socialization” does not replace the concepts of “education”, “personal development”, etc., although they are quite close. According to Anatoly Viktorovich Mudrik, socialization is a broader concept than education. Education is a process of pedagogically organized, purposeful influence on a person. According to Galina Mikhailovna Andreeva, socialization is closer to personality development than to education. Adjacent to socialization is the concept of socio-psychological adaptation as the individual’s adaptation to changes in the environment, mastering a role in a different social situation. This is one of the mechanisms of socialization.

2. Structure of socialization:

Breadth, i.e. the number of spheres to which a person was able to adapt; determines how socially mature and developed a person is.

3. Socialization of the individual is carried out as a result of its inclusion in various social groups, interaction with other people and the acquisition of relevant skills. Therefore, the starting point for socialization is the presence of a person’s need for communication.

Three main areas in which socialization occurs:

Activity (selecting types of activities, their hierarchy, identifying the leading type, mastering the corresponding roles),

Communication (inextricably linked with activity, dialogue forms become more complex, the ability to focus on a partner and adequately perceive him is developed),

Self-awareness (formation of the image of the Self - “Self-concept”).

4. The main criterion of socialization is not the degree of opportunism, conformism, but the degree of independence, confidence, independence, and initiative. The main goal of socialization is to satisfy the need for self-actualization (Abraham Maslow), to develop abilities, and not to level the personality.

5. Stages of socialization

According to Freud:

Primary (oral, anal and phallic),

Marginal (intermediate) – socialization of a teenager, essentially pseudo-stable,

Stable – associated with a stable position in society, acquiring a certain status and set of roles,

The latter is associated with the loss of status and a number of roles, and is associated with maladjustment.

Early (before school),
- learning stage,

Labor,

Post-work (discussion: desocialization?), according to Erik Erikson, is the stage of maturity when a person can gain wisdom.

According to Lawrence Kohlberg:

Pre-conventional level of moral development (up to 7 years) – behavior is determined by the desire to avoid punishment and receive encouragement,

Group (about 13 years old) - the action is assessed from the point of view of the reference group,

Post-conventional (reaches only 10% of children over 16 years of age) – a universal level of identity is manifested.

6. Factors of personal socialization are usually divided into macro- (determined by living in large communities - country, etc.), meso- (nation, region, village or city) and micro factors (small groups), reflecting socio-political, economic, historical, national and other features of personality development.

Specific groups in which the individual is introduced to the system of social norms and values are called institutions of socialization:

School (in a broad sense – the entire education system),

For adults - work collective,
- unorganized environment (from “street” phenomena to television),

Public associations of various kinds,

Sometimes there is also a leisure system - cultural institutions. (??)

The influence of the historical stage on socialization (Gumilev Lev Nikolaevich).

7. Features of socialization in conditions of a social crisis, with a violation of “ideological integrity” (Erik Erikson).

42Russia's place in the world community

The problem of Russia's self-determination and its search for its place in the world is not new. Whenever Russia found itself on the threshold of change, intellectual debate about its future development was renewed and inflamed.

Question about place Russia in the world has traditionally been essentially a question of its geopolitical and civilizational self-identification. Problem roles Russia in the world was discussed on the basis of the characteristics of the internal state of Russian society and was reflected in the opposition of pessimistic and optimistic forecasts regarding its status in the world community: a world power or a regional state, in other words, a subject or object of world development.

The modern round of discussions, which began along with “perestroika” in the mid-80s of the last century, followed traditional Russian lines: on the question of Russia’s place in the modern world, Westerners, anti-Westerners and Eurasians emerged; on the issue of status - supporters of global and regional positioning.

Anti-Western position comes from ideas about the cultural “originality” of Russia and represents a vision of its further development relying on its own strengths - the path autarchy, those. the existence of the system only due to internal resources. It was the autarky of the Soviet Union that prevented the dynamic and innovative development of its economy and contributed to its weakening in confrontation with the West. In the context of globalization, closure is almost impossible, and given our historical experience, this path is completely unpromising.

"Westerners" or "Easterners" They think of Russia's development within regional groupings - the European Union or the Asia-Pacific Economic Community. Today, posing the question of Russia’s place in the world only in the linear-planar dichotomy “West-East” is outdated. In essence, Russia retains the objective geopolitical potential of the axis, that is, the system-forming principle for a new grouping of many countries and peoples. In addition, no matter how strong the European or Asian regional unions are, they will not be able to painlessly master the Russian scale and heterogeneity.

Eurasians they proceed from the special civilizational principle of Russia as a synthesis of European and Asian development factors and imagine its future in the vast space of the continental bloc of European and Asian countries. Russia is a unique Eurasian civilization that unites East and West, and through East and West - the whole world. Objectively, geopolitically and civilizationally, Russia is destined for an axial, unifying, global role.

The objective possibilities of globalization create an environment in which geopolitical, economic, cultural and, very importantly, subjective Russia's potential in modern world development. But Russia now has a lot of internal development problems.

From the position of the world-system approach, Russia is now present in all three structures of the world-system according to various indicators. Based on historical tradition and the laws of political inertia, taking into account the territorial scale of the country (10% of the Earth’s territory), its powerful nuclear potential, high intellectual capabilities, Russia They are still included in the circle of great powers, that is, in the world “core”. There are also external attributes of this affiliation: Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a participant in the Russia-EU summits, part of the G8, a member of the Russia-NATO Council, there is progress towards joining the WTO (World Trade Organization). In terms of economic potential, quality of life, economic and social development, Russia now ranks 64th in the world (the USSR occupied 35th place). These criteria position Russia closer to the lower part of the semi-periphery. According to the parameters of representation in the global economic and information space, Russia is still in the third, peripheral structure of the world-system. At the same time, this real position very much does not coincide with the unrealized potential of Russia. Russia - one of the richest powers in the world. According to calculations by the State Statistics Committee of the Russian Federation and the Russian Academy of Sciences, the national wealth of Russia is 340-380 trillion dollars, and per capita national wealth here is twice as much as in the USA, and 22 times more than in Japan. More than 21% of the world's reserves of raw materials are concentrated in Russia, including 45% of the world's reserves of natural gas, 13% of oil, 23% of coal. There is 0.9 hectares of arable land per resident of Russia - 80% more than in Finland, 30% more than in the USA. Russia has rich intellectual potential. A third of all the greatest scientific discoveries of the 20th century. made by scientists from the former USSR and Russia. Russia has the richest cultural traditions. Of the three recognized greatest peaks in the development of human civilization (Classical Greece, Italian Renaissance), one is inextricably linked with Russia and rightfully bears the name "RussianXIX century".

The decisive condition for Russia's inclusion in the processes of globalization is the successful solution of its internal problems. To make its full potential functional, it is now important for Russia to focus on innovative, rather than catch-up development.

Social changes can occur in the following main forms: functional changes, reforms, revolutions, modernization, transformation, crises.

Functional changes. In social systems, functional changes are adaptive.

They can be compared to preventative maintenance and routine car repairs. Such “repairs” are carried out to maintain the system in “working condition”. The task of functional changes does not include radical reforms that involve qualitative structural changes. Their goal is adaptation to changing environmental conditions (natural and social) and the internal needs of the social system.

Reforms. Reform (from Latin reformare - to transform) is a transformation, change, reorganization of any aspect of social life or the entire social system. Reforms, unlike revolutions, involve gradual changes in certain social institutions, spheres of life or the system as a whole. They, as a rule, are carried out “from above” with the help of new legislative acts and are aimed at improving the existing system, without its qualitative changes. For example, the reforms of Peter 1 radically changed the country's system of government, but the foundations of autocracy remained unchanged.

Reforms can also acquire a revolutionary character. Thus, the reformation of the church, which began in the 16th century. in Western and Central Europe, took the form of a revolutionary struggle against the Catholic Church and the feudal system. The abolition of serfdom in Russia in 1861 (peasant reform), despite its compromise nature, also had revolutionary consequences.

The danger of rapid and radical reforms is that they can get out of the control of the “reformers” and the public and become unpredictable. For example, perestroika, which began in the USSR in 1985 with the goal of reforming the socialist system (creating socialism with a “human face”), got out of the control of the party-political elite and led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the course of their further development (liberalization and democratization), the reforms were transformed into a criminal “revolution” aimed at plundering Russia by new political and economic elites.

Reforms are usually understood as slow evolutionary changes that do not lead to mass violence, rapid changes in political elites, or rapid and radical changes in the social structure and value orientations. For example, China's transition from a state-planned economy to a market economy is carried out using reform methods that have been ongoing for more than 20 years. Starting with the privatization of small peasant farms, market relations gradually began to be introduced in medium and large enterprises. As a result of such gradual and consistent reforms, China has transformed from a backward country into one of the most steadily developing social systems. The annual growth of GDP (gross domestic product) in China is 10-12%.

Social revolutions. A revolution is a rapid fundamental socio-economic and political change, usually carried out by force.

A revolution is a revolution from below. It sweeps away the ruling elite, which has proven its inability to govern society, and creates a new political and social structure, new political, economic and social relations. As a result of the revolution, basic changes occur in the social-class structure of society, in the values and behavior of people.

The revolution involves the masses of the people in active political activity. Activity, enthusiasm, optimism, hope for a “bright future” mobilize people for feats of arms, free labor and social creativity. During the period of revolution, the activity of the masses reaches its apogee, and social changes reach an unprecedented pace and depth.

K. Marx called revolutions “the locomotives of history.”

Revolutionary is also called rapid and radical changes that occur in certain spheres (subsystems) of society, for example in the political - a change of political elites when the political opposition comes to power; radical changes in economic structures; epoch-making scientific and technical discoveries (scientific and technological revolution), etc. Large-scale (“great”) revolutions, as a rule, lead to civil wars and the senseless destruction of large numbers of people. Moreover, the outcome of the revolution is unpredictable. For the most part, they do not end with what the revolutionaries dreamed of. Therefore, many researchers consider the revolution a disaster for the country and its people. Thus, P. A. Sorokin believes that “revolution is the worst way to improve the material and spiritual conditions of life of the masses... Whatever it achieves, it is achieved at a monstrous and disproportionately high price.”

Social modernization. Modernization refers to progressive social changes, as a result of which the social system (subsystem) improves the parameters of its functioning. For example, the transformation process

Traditional society into an industrial one is usually called modernization. The reforms of Peter I (the beginning of the 18th century), as a result of which Russia was supposed to reach the level of development of Western countries, also implied modernization. Modernization in this sense means achieving certain world standards or a modern level of development.

Social transformation. Transformation (from Latin trans-formatio) is a transformation that occurs in society as a result of certain social changes, both purposeful and chaotic.

Social crisis. Crisis (from Latin krisis) ~ decision, turning point, outcome, difficult transitional state of a social system, suggesting radical changes to solve emerging problems.

Self-test questions

1. Define the concept of “social change”.

2. What is a social process?

3. List the main forms of social processes.

4. Name the main types of social changes.

5. What are the differences between reform and revolution?

6. What is modernization?

7. What are the main causes of social change?

3. What types of social changes have occurred in the last 20 years in Soviet and Russian societies?

Ways of development of society is an evolutionary, revolutionary and reform path. Let's look at each of them.

Evolution - this (from the Latin evolutio - “unfolding”) is a process of natural change in society, in which a social form of development of society arises, different from the previous one. The evolutionary path of development is smooth, gradual changes that occur in society under specific historical conditions.

For the first time a sociologist spoke about social evolution Spencer G.

The modern Russian historian highly appreciated the evolutionary path of development Volobuev P. He named positive aspects of evolution:

Ensures continuity of development, preserving all accumulated wealth
Accompanied by positive qualitative changes in all spheres of society.
Evolution uses reforms, is able to ensure and maintain social progress, and give it a civilized form.

Revolution– (from Latin revolutio - turn, transformation) these are fundamental, spasmodic, significant changes in society that lead to the transition of society from one qualitative state to another.

Types of revolutions

By duration:

Short-term (for example, the February Revolution in Russia in 1917)
Long-term (for example, the Neolithic, that is, the transition from an appropriating to a producing type of economy, lasted about 3 thousand years; the industrial revolution, that is, the transition from manual labor to machine labor, lasted about 200 years, this is the 18th-19th centuries).

By area of flow

technical (neolithic, industrial, scientific and technical)
cultural
social (with change of government)

By scale of flow:

in a separate country
in a number of countries
global

Assessments of social revolutions

K. Marx:“Revolution is the locomotive of history”, “the driving force of society”

Berdyaev N.: “All revolutions ended in reactions. It's inevitable. This is the law. And the more violent and violent the revolutions were, the stronger the reactions were.”

Most sociologists see revolution as an undesirable deviation from the natural course of history, because any revolution always means violence, loss of life, impoverishment of people.

Reform– (from lat. reformo transformation) is a change in society carried out from above by the government, the authorities. This happens through the adoption of laws, regulations and other government regulations. Reforms can occur in one area or in several at once. However, there are no significant, fundamental changes in the state (in the system, phenomenon, structure).

Types of reforms

By influence on the course of historical development

Progressive, that is, leading to improvement in any area of society (education reform, healthcare reform. Let us recall the reforms of Alexander II - peasant, zemstvo, judicial, military - all of them significantly improved social relations.
Regressive – leading to backward movement, worsening something in society. Thus, the counter-reforms of Alexander III led to increased reaction and conservatism in management.

By area of society:

Economic(transformations in the economic activity of the country)
Social(creating conditions for a decent life for people)
Political(changes in the political sphere, for example, the adoption of a constitution, a new electoral law, etc.)

New types of revolutions of the 20th-21st centuries:

"green" revolution is a set of changes in agriculture that occurred in developing countries in the 1940s-1970s of the 20th century. These include: introducing more productive plant varieties; expansion of irrigation, that is, irrigation systems; improvement of agricultural machinery; the use of fertilizers, pesticides, that is, chemicals to control pests and weeds . Target This revolution means a significant increase in agricultural production and entry into the world market.
"velvet" revolution is a process of bloodless reform of the social regime. The term first appeared in connection with the events in Czechoslovakia in November-December 1989. In these revolutions, the leading role is played by elite groups that compete with the same elite, but in power.
"orange" revolution is a company of rallies, protests, strikes, pickets and other acts of civil disobedience, the purpose of which is to solve pressing problems. The term first appeared in connection with the events in Ukraine in 2004, when supporters of Yushchenko and Yanukovych confronted each other.
Material prepared by: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna

Social changes. Forms of social change

Society is not something fixed and established. Changes are constantly happening here. Society is a living social organism that is influenced by both internal and external forces, which results in a constant change in its structure. What are social changes, what causes them, and in what direction are they directed?

Social change is any modification that has occurred in social relations. In more in the narrow sense Social change refers to a change in the social structure of society. In this case, it is necessary to distinguish between social dynamics, i.e., processes of social modification, during which the existing structure is preserved and strengthened, and social changes themselves, i.e., such modifications that lead to deep structural changes in society.

The ability of social reality to undergo structural changes has a natural, physical basis. Humans as a biological species are distinguished by high flexibility and the same level of adaptive abilities. He is born with an absolute minimum of innate instincts, but is incredibly capable of learning, imitation, symbolization and creativity. Social changes are not predetermined by the biological organization of man: it only creates the possibility of such changes, but in itself is not their explanation.

The problem of social change was fundamental to sociology back in the 19th century. The interest in social change itself was a consequence of:

1) awareness of the scale of social consequences of industrialization for European societies;

2) understanding the meaning of the fundamental difference between European industrial and so-called “primitive societies.

The causes of social change are usually considered:

1) technological development;

2) social conflict (between races, religions, classes);

3) lack of integration of parts of the social structure or culture of society;

4) the need for adaptation within social systems;

5) the impact of ideas and belief systems on social activity (for example, M. Weber’s hypothesis about the connection between Protestant ethics and capitalism).

It is safe to say that social changes occur at every given moment in every point of society. Academician G. Osipov identifies four main types of social change.

Motivational social changes – changes in the sphere of motivation of individual and collective activity. The nature of the needs, interests, motivation, behavior and activities of social communities and individuals does not remain unchanged. Particularly significant changes occur in the motivational sphere of people’s lives during periods of transition in social structures.

Structural social changes – changes affecting the structures of various social entities. These include, for example, changes in family structure (polygamous, monogamous, large, small); changes in the structure of social institutions (education, science, religion) and social organizations (in the system of government and management).

Functional social changes – changes relating to the functions of various social systems, institutions, organizations.

Procedural social changes – changes affecting social processes. These include: processes of socio-historical changes, processes in the sphere of social interactions and social relations of various social subjects (communities, institutions, organizations, individuals). For example, the processes of stratification, mobility, migration.

All these types of social changes are closely interrelated and interdependent: structural changes are followed by functional changes, motivational changes are followed by procedural changes, etc.

The actions of individuals can lead to significant social and cultural changes in a society. However, as a rule, significant social changes are carried out only in processes joint actions of people, which consist of separate but unidirectional interconnected interactions of individuals.

Concept "process"(from the Latin processus - advancement) means a sequential change of phenomena, states, changes in the development of something, as well as a set of sequential actions aimed at achieving certain results. Processes include various phenomena in nature and society, interconnected by cause-and-effect or structural-functional dependencies. Any series of phenomena can be considered as a process if it has time duration,subsequence(previous stages necessarily predetermine the next), continuity And identity(repetition).

but as sequential change elements of the social system and its subsystems;

b) like any identifiable,a repeating pattern of social interactions (conflict, operation, conference).

Social processes are most often divided into functioning processes (ensuring the reproduction of a given qualitative state) and development processes (determining a qualitatively new state).

Social processes are also distinguished by degree of management(spontaneous, natural-historical, purposeful); by direction(progressive and regressive); by degree of influence on society(evolutionary and revolutionary).

Let us take a closer look at evolutionary and revolutionary social changes.

Under evolution is understood as the development of phenomena or processes that occurs as a result of gradual continuous changes, transforming one into another without jumps or interruptions while maintaining the qualitative certainty of the phenomenon in the course of its qualitative and quantitative changes.

Evolutionary changes in society, organized consciously, take the form of social reforms. Reform(from the Latin reformo - transformation) - such a transformation, change, reorganization of any aspect of social life (orders, institutions, institutions) that does not destroy the foundations of the existing social structure. Reforms can be understood as innovations of any order. Reforms can have a significant impact on social development (example: the 1861 reform in Tsarist Russia, etc.).

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Reform and revolution as a form of social change

introduction

social changes. kinds

Reforms as a type of social change.

Revolution as a social phenomenon.

Non-revolutionary forms of social action: coup, uprising, pogrom, mutiny, riot, unrest.

Conclusion

Literature

Introduction

Reforms and revolutions are the two main forms of social development and social change in society. They are divided into several types, differing in scope, nature, duration, and scale. We will look at the basic concepts and definitions and fundamental differences.

Social change

The concept of social change is the starting point for describing the dynamic processes occurring in society. This concept does not contain an evaluative component and covers a wide range of diverse social changes, regardless of their direction. In the broadest sense, social change refers to the transition of social systems, their elements and structures, connections and interactions from one state to another. Sociologists distinguish four types of social change:

structural social changes (concerning the structures of various social entities - families, mass communities, social institutions and organizations, social strata, etc.);

procedural social changes (affecting social processes, reflecting relations of solidarity, tension, conflict, equality and subordination between various subjects of social interactions);

functional social changes (relating to the functions of various social systems, structures, institutions, organizations, etc.);

motivational social changes (occurring in the sphere of motivation of individual and collective activity; thus, with the formation of a market economy, the interests and motivational attitudes of significant sections of the population change significantly).

According to their nature and degree of influence on society, social changes are divided into evolutionary and revolutionary.

Evolutionary refers to gradual, smooth, partial changes in society. They can cover all spheres of society - economic, political, social, spiritual and cultural. Evolutionary changes most often take the form of social reforms, which involve the implementation of various activities to transform certain aspects of social life.

Revolutionary refers to relatively rapid (compared to previous social evolution), third-party, fundamental changes in society. Revolutionary formations are spasmodic in nature and represent the transition of society from one qualitative state to another.

Social revolution is the subject of heated debate and controversy in sociology and other social sciences. Most sociologists see it as a social anomaly, a deviation from the natural course of history. In turn, Marxists view revolutions as a natural and progressive phenomenon in the history of mankind.

In general, these are two different, but necessarily interconnected, conjugate aspects of social development. Revolutionary, qualitative changes in the development of society are as natural and inevitable as evolutionary, quantitative ones. The relationship between evolutionary and revolutionary forms of social development depends on the specific historical conditions of a given era and a given country. Modern experience shows that in developed countries many social problems that gave rise to revolutionary uprisings in the past are being successfully resolved along the paths of evolutionary, reformist development.

In recent years, sociologists have paid increasing attention to cyclical social change. Cycles are a certain set of phenomena, processes, the sequence of which represents a circulation over a period of time. The final phase of the cycle seems to repeat the initial one, but only under different conditions or at a different level.

Society experiences political, economic, and social cycles: political crises are replaced by political stability, economic growth alternates with economic recession, an increase in the level of well-being of the population is followed by its decline, etc.

Among the cyclic processes, changes of the pendulum type, wave movements, and spiral movements are distinguished. The former are considered the simplest form of cyclical change. An example is the periodic change in power between conservatives and liberals in some European countries. An example of wave processes is the cycle of technological innovation, which reaches its wave peak and then declines, as if fading. The spiral type is the most complex form of cyclical social change. It assumes a change according to the formula:<повторение старого на качественно новом уровне>.

In addition to the cyclical changes occurring within the framework of the new social system, sociologists and cultural scientists identify cyclical processes that cover entire cultures and civilizations. This approach is reflected in the so-called. civilizational approach (N.Ya. Danilevsky (1822-1885), O. Spengler (1880-1936) and A. Toynbee (1889-1975). The theories of cultural-historical types emphasized the multilinearity of the development of natural sociocultural systems as special civilizations. Any civilization has its own life cycle and goes through four main phases in its development: origin, formation, flourishing and decline.At the same time, each cultural and historical type is called upon to make its own unique contribution to the development of humanity.

Currently, sociologists are also criticizing ideas about the unilinear nature of social processes. They emphasize that society can change in unexpected ways. This happens when the social system can restore its balance using previous mechanisms, and the innovative activity of the masses tends to go beyond all institutional restrictions. As a result, a situation arises when society faces the problem of choosing from many options for social development. Such branching or bifurcation associated with the chaotic state of society is called social bifurcation, which means the unpredictability of the logic of social development.

Thus, the transition of society from one state to another is not always deterministic.

Reforms as a type of social change

Reform is a transformation, change, reorganization of any aspect of social life or the entire social system. Reforms involve gradual changes in certain social institutions, spheres of life or the system as a whole. Reform may also be spontaneous, but it is always a process of gradual accumulation of some new elements and properties, as a result of which the entire social system or its important aspects change. As a result of the process of accumulation, new elements are born, appear and strengthen. This process is called innovation. Then there is a selection of innovations, consciously or spontaneously, through which elements of the new are fixed in the system and others are, as it were, “culled out.” Social reforms, as a rule, do not affect the foundations of the social system of society, but change only its individual parts and structural elements.

The subject of social reforms is the ruling political party (in a democracy) or a group of political leaders (in an authoritarian regime) who use the levers of state power to implement the desired changes in society (here the difference between reforms and revolutions, which most often break the old and create a new state machine, is clearly visible ).

The object of reform can be any element of the political, economic and other systems of society, including social relations. The practical implementation of reforms usually begins with the adoption of appropriate laws that create the necessary regulatory framework. Then changes occur in the institutional field - new executive and legislative authorities are formed, the functions of existing social institutions are transformed, etc. Subsequently, through the communicative subsystem that mediates the activities of reformers, changes spread to all spheres of society.

Social reform

This is a transformation, reorganization, change in any aspect of social life that does not destroy the foundations of the existing social structure, leaving power in the hands of the former ruling class. Understood in this sense, the path of gradual transformation of existing relations is contrasted with revolutionary explosions that sweep away the old order, the old system to the ground. Marxism considered the evolutionary process, which preserved many relics of the past for a long time, too painful for the people.

Today, great reforms (i.e., revolutions carried out “from above”) are recognized as the same social anomalies as great revolutions. Both of these ways of solving social contradictions are opposed to the normal, healthy practice of “permanent reform in a self-regulating society.” A new concept of reform-innovation is introduced. Innovation is understood as an ordinary, one-time improvement associated with an increase in the adaptive capabilities of a social organism in given conditions.

Social reforms, as a rule, do not affect the foundations of the social system of society, but change only certain parts or elements.

According to some critics, many social reforms mask rather than address fundamental problems and social inequalities. Health service reform in Britain in 1974 was undertaken to improve the provision of health care, but did little to identify the causes of ill health rooted in the social structure of society. Analysis of social reform also raises questions about the relationship between social science and value judgments.

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 and affect their level and lifestyle, health, participation in public life, and 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, unemployment benefits or a new form of social protection of the population does not simply affect our interests. Such reforms affect the social status of numerous segments of the population, limiting or expanding the access of millions to social benefits - education, health care, employment, guarantees.

When there is a growing need to carry out not one, two or three reforms, but a much larger number of them in such a way as to fundamentally change the nature of society, some party or association of people, for example, the military elite, carries out a social revolution.

social development reform rebellion

Revolution as a social phenomenon

Definition of revolution

First of all, we must give as precise a definition as possible of the concept of revolution. In everyday life, this term has very different interpretations. For example, a coup d'etat, consisting of a simple change from one group of leaders to another without any change in political institutions and the system of power, cannot be considered a revolution in the strict sociological sense. Only those events that satisfy a number of conditions are called revolution.

1. A sequence of events is not a revolution unless it involves a mass social movement. This condition allows us to exclude from the category of revolutions such situations when a party comes to power as a result of elections, or when power is seized by a small group, for example, the military.

2. Revolution leads to large-scale reforms or changes). John Duney points out that, according to this principle, the people who rise to power must actually be more capable of governing a given society than those whom they overthrow; the leaders of the revolution must be able to achieve at least some of the goals they set. A society in which a movement of this kind has mastered only the external, formal attributes of power, but then turned out to be incapable of real control, cannot be considered revolutionary. It is rather in a state of chaos or perhaps in danger of disintegration.

3. Revolution involves the threat of violence or its use by participants in a mass movement. A revolution is a political change that occurs under the opposition of the ruling circles, which cannot be forced to give up their power except under the threat of violence or through its actual use.

Putting all three criteria together, we can define a revolution as the seizure of state power through violence by the leaders of a mass movement, the resulting power being subsequently used to initiate radical social reforms.

Revolutions are distinguished from armed uprisings, which involve the threat or use of violence but do not result in significant change. Almost all mass uprisings that took place before the 17th century were not revolutions, but uprisings. Thus, in medieval Europe, serfs often broke out against their masters). However, their goal was usually to get better treatment from their masters or to replace a particularly cruel master with someone gentler. The concept of social action undertaken with the aim of radically changing the existing political structure of society was unknown at that time.

Revolutions represent the most striking manifestation of social change. They mark fundamental changes in historical processes, transform human society from the inside and literally “plow up” people. They leave nothing unchanged; old eras end and new ones begin. At the time of revolutions, society reaches its peak of activity; there is an explosion of its self-transformation potential. In the wake of revolutions, societies seem to be born anew. In this sense, revolutions are a sign of social health.

Revolution as a social phenomenon, a phenomenon of public life, is a complex image filled with evaluative and emotional judgments, which can be called the “myth of the revolution.” In addition, the revolution serves as a subject for study of sociology, an object of scientific reflection. In this case we are talking about a complex theoretical construct, which is usually called the “theory of revolution.” Both levels of consideration, social and sociological, are components of social consciousness. They can enter into a two-way, dialectical relationship with social life, reflecting real conditions, human actions, forms of social organization and institutions; and they also cast their reflection on social life. The myth of revolution and the theory of revolution are thus both a mental reproduction of their time, and as such are significant causal factors.

Social revolution is the overthrow of state and class structures of society and their replacement with a new social order radically different from the previous one. Thus, according to K. Friedrich, “revolution... brings a new, unheard of language, a different logic, a revolution in all values... A political revolution can be defined as a sudden and violent overthrow of the established political order.”

S. Huntington defines revolution as “internal, rapid, fundamental and violent changes in the prevailing values and myths of a society, its political institutions, social structure, leadership, modes of operation and government policies.”

Revolutions are most likely under the following conditions. Firstly, political power is mainly concentrated in the hands of the state, i.e. there is a presence of a centralized management apparatus. Consequently, the state may become the target of collective anger and resentment. Secondly, the military circles’ commitment to the ruling regime is weakening, and the army is no longer a reliable means of suppressing internal unrest. When the army's top brass become embroiled in conflict with the centralized state, or when troops sympathize with their civilian "enemies," the army's unreliability increases the state's vulnerability. Thirdly, political crises, often associated with long-term international conflicts ending in military defeat, weaken the existing regime and contribute to the collapse of the state apparatus. Fourthly, a significant part of the country's population must take part in uprisings that bring a new elite to power. Peasant uprisings were usually caused by such reasons as the appropriation of peasant lands by feudal lords, a significant increase in taxes or rents, and famine. Urban uprisings were usually triggered by soaring food prices and unusually high unemployment rates.

Non-revolutionary social action

1. Rebellion is a group (mass) armed uprising against the current government, more often reflecting the interests of conservative and even reactionary circles of society.

used, as a rule, to denote unsuccessful resistance to the authorities.

2. A coup d'état is a change of power in the state, carried out necessarily in violation of the constitutional and legal norms currently in force, usually with the use of force to seize the centers of state control and the physical isolation (sometimes arrest or murder) of its current leaders.

Etymologically, a “coup” is the same as a revolution. However, in political history, the concept of “revolution” is applied to large-scale and long-term processes (“a deep qualitative change in the development of any phenomena of nature, society or knowledge”), while a “coup “applies to the event of a change of power, the consequences of which are not necessarily revolutionary in scope. A similar relationship between “coup” and “revolution” is observed in a couple of terms

3. Rebellion - a mass armed uprising against the existing state of affairs. More often, uprisings are directed against the current government. An uprising is a manifestation of the active desire of people to achieve their goal. Throughout human history, uprisings alongside wars have been the main form of organized violence.

4. The Troubles - an era of crisis of statehood in Russia, interpreted by a number of sources as a civil war, was accompanied by popular uprisings, rebellions, rule of impostors, Polish and Swedish interventions, destruction of the state. Power and the ruin of the country.

5. civil revolt includes a general denial of the legitimacy of a given regime, mass strikes, large demonstrations, cessation of economic activity, and widespread refusal of political cooperation. Refusal of political cooperation may include actions by government officials and disobedience of the army and police.

6. Pogrom - mass violent actions directed against any group of the population on religious, national or racial grounds; inspired, as a rule, by extremist organizations or the police. Characterized by physical attacks and destruction of homes, businesses and religious buildings. Often accompanied by torture and murder, mutilation, destruction and robbery of property, and rape.

Conclusion

From the above it follows that from now on it is necessary to consider revolutionary not what goes beyond the scope of reform, but what allows one to expand this framework to the level and requirements of the tasks of a radical transformation of existing social relations. The point is not in the opposition of “movement” and “ultimate goal”, but in linking them in such a way that in the course and result of the “movement” the “ultimate goal” can be realized. “Revolutionary reformism” rejects as untenable the alternative: revolution or reform. If we do not believe in the evolutionary possibilities of our domestic civilization and are again inclined only to revolutions and coups, then there can be no talk of reforms.

Thus, based on the analysis of world history and the main historical types of social revolutions in general, it can be argued that social revolutions are necessary and natural, because, ultimately, they marked the movement of humanity along the path of progressive socio-historical development. But the revolutionary process (as well as the evolutionary process) is not a one-time act. During this process, the tasks initially set by the subjects of the revolution are clarified and deepened, a fundamental affirmation occurs, and ideas are materialized.

Literature

1. http://www.alllectures.narod.ru/lectures/sociologi/32.HTM

2.http://socupr.blogspot.ru/2009/11/blog-post_08.html

3. http://freepapers.ru/8/socialnye-revoljucii-i-reformy-v/1239.17513.list3.html

4. http://fridman83.livejournal.com/12164.html

5. http://enc-dic.com/sociology/Socialnaja-Reforma-8729/

6. http://www.grandars.ru/college/sociologiya/socialnye-izmeneniya.html

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