Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Kinds of Societies from Class 8 Social Science. After studying this chapter you will learn about the different types of societies and the features of different types of societies. We do not find the same society everywhere. People's life, culture, customs, rituals, and occupation differ from region to region. For example, dressing style, daily routines, and life styles of rural people are different from people of the cities and towns. Buildings seen in cities are not seen in villages. That means society can be classified in different ways based on its nature of occupation and their activities. These are: Hunting and food gathering society, Cattle rearing society, Farming society, and Industrial society.
[CHECKPOINT]
Let us begin with the first type, the Hunting and Food Gathering Society. This is the simplest and the oldest of all forms of human societies. This society is very small, comprising very few people, and adopts a nomadic life style. The weapons they use are axes made from stone, spears, and daggers. These people hunt wild animals for their survival. They also gather fruits, seeds, roots, tubers and vegetables grown wildly in the forest. They do not have any desire to earn money. They lead lives sharing everything with others. Now let us look at the features of this society. First, this society comprises very small and scattered groups of people. It never has more than 40 to 50 people. Second, since this society keeps on moving from place to place, the people have to move to a new place in search of food when it is scarce in one place. Third, people in this society do not desire to earn wealth. There is no concept of wealth in their society. Whatever they get, they share it with one another. Fourth, the whole society is bound together by means of relationships. There is no personal identity. Family and relationships are the only mutually related institutions. Fifth, since there are no political institutions, there are no categories of the rulers and the ruled here.
[CHECKPOINT]
Next, we will learn about the Cattle Rearing Society. The society which rears herds of cattle for its livelihood is a cattle rearing society. Here the people satisfy their needs by hunting, cattle rearing, and food gathering. Even today we can see cattle rearing societies in parts of Africa and Central Asia. Let us examine the features of this society. First, these societies are comparatively big and consist of several hundreds to thousands of people. For example, the Bhaktiyari community has about 5000 to 1,50,000 people. Second, these societies can be usually seen on grasslands, hilly regions, deserts and areas not suitable for agriculture. These are the areas congenial for cattle rearing. That is the reason their main occupation is cattle rearing. Third, in this society, the one who possesses the largest number of cattle becomes more powerful than the others. He is considered rich and becomes the leader of the group.
[CHECKPOINT]
Moving forward, we come to the Farming Society. A farming society depends on cultivation of vast areas of land for the livelihood. People make use of animals to plough the land. Here are the features of this society. First, a Farming Revolution began with the invention of the plough around 3000 B.C.E. With this, the production of food too increased. Food production increased much more when animals were used to draw the plough. Second, cultivation is the main occupation in the farming society. Hence people stayed in the same place. With this permanent settlement of people, villages took shape. Third, since increased food production was possible in the fields, it was not necessary for everyone to work there throughout the day. Therefore, majority of the people engaged themselves in other activities. So various skills are developed.
[CHECKPOINT]
Now let us explore the fourth type, the Industrial Society. The society which depends on industries that manufacture products with the use of science and technology is called an industrial society. Let us study its features. First, new inventions transformed the society totally. The steam engine, internal combustion engine, electric energy, and nuclear energy have brought about and are bringing wide ranging social and economic transformation. Second, many people migrate to cities where industries are established. Therefore, the population in cities increases. Third, division of labour is needed to run industries. Division of labour involves division of the work according to the skills of the workers. In the industrial society, we see division of labour in all aspects. From a point of view it is also possible to give this classification as stages of human evolution.
[CHECKPOINT]
Now it is time to test your understanding with the exercises. Let us go through them together. First, fill in the blanks with suitable words. Question one: The members of the hunting society used stone weapons. The textbook states they used axe made from stone. Question two: In farming, animals are used for ploughing. The text clearly says people make use of animals to plough the land. Question three: Division of tasks according to skills is called division of labour. The textbook defines it exactly as division of the work according to the skills of the workers.
Next, answer the following questions. Question four: What is meant by Cattle rearing society? The society which rears herds of cattle for its livelihood is a cattle rearing society. Question five: What do you mean by Farming society? A farming society depends on cultivation of vast areas of land for the livelihood. Question six: What is meant by Industrial society? The society which depends on industries that manufacture products with the use of science and technology is called an industrial society. Question seven: What are the kinds of societies? The kinds of societies are hunting and food gathering society, cattle rearing society, farming society, and industrial society.
[CHECKPOINT]
Now let us answer the following in four to five sentences each. Question eight: Describe the life style in the hunting and food gathering society. This is the simplest and oldest form of human society. It comprises very small, scattered groups of never more than 40 to 50 people. They adopt a nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place in search of food. They use stone axes, spears, and daggers to hunt wild animals and gather fruits, seeds, roots, tubers, and wild vegetables. They have no desire to earn wealth or money, and they share everything they gather with one another. Question nine: Mention the features of the cattle rearing society. These societies are comparatively large, consisting of hundreds to thousands of people, such as the Bhaktiyari community. They are usually found on grasslands, hilly regions, deserts, and areas unsuitable for agriculture. Their main occupation is cattle rearing. The person who owns the largest number of cattle becomes the most powerful, is considered rich, and becomes the group leader. Question ten: Explain the features of the farming society. A farming revolution began around 3000 B.C.E. with the invention of the plough, which increased food production, especially when animals were used. Cultivation is the main occupation, leading to permanent settlements and the formation of villages. Since food production increased, not everyone needed to farm all day, allowing people to develop various other skills. Question eleven: Describe the features of the industrial society. New inventions like the steam engine, internal combustion engine, electric energy, and nuclear energy have brought wide ranging social and economic transformations. People migrate to cities where industries are established, causing urban population growth. Running industries requires division of labour, which means dividing work according to workers skills, and this is seen in all aspects of the society.
[CHECKPOINT]
Finally, let us look at the activities. Activity one asks you to compare and contrast the lifestyle of urban and rural people with the help of your teacher. You should observe differences in dressing style, daily routines, buildings, and occupations between villages and cities. Activity two asks you to sit in groups and discuss the concept of an ideal society. In your groups, share your thoughts on what makes a society fair, cooperative, and progressive for all its members.
Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]