SEMESTER: 2nd

SESSION: 2019-20

Project of Sociology-II.

Topic: Political and Economic Factors of Social

Change and its Trends.
Submitted To: Submitted By:
Dr. Faisal K.P Mohammad Fahad
Astt. Professor En No: GJ-3744
Department of Law Faculty No: 19BALLB-232

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TABLE OF CONTENT
 Introduction
 Concept of social change
 Definitions of social change
 Characteristics of social change
 Economic factors of social change
 Political Factors of social change
 Conclusion
 Bibliography

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INTRODUCTION
The word 'change' immediately brings to mind something different from yesterday
or past. Change is the irrefutable law of nature. It may be or may not be visible but
all things are changing at varying paces. There are changes in physical
environment, flora and fauna, water table, so on and so forth. Similarly, social
environment which has been created by human beings themselves is continuously
in the process of change. A look into the history of society reveals that all social
institutions such as family, religion, marriage, political, economic, social values
and social attitudes have undergone a drastic change over a period of time. The
social life being lived by human being at present during the dawn of 21" century
was not so about hundred or more years back. Permanence of human society is an
illusion. Human society is in an ever-changing process, growing, decaying,
renewing and adjusting itself to new-found ideas, inventions and ways of living.

CONCEPT OF SOCIAL CHANGE

The concept of social change was introduced by August Comte, a Frenchman,
known as founding father of Sociology. Later on, the concept of social change was
further refined and developed by Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx and a number of
other sociologists. No human society is static and at the same time it is difficult to
predict the forms and directions of social change. The reason is that the factors
which cause social change do not remain uniform always. The population changes,
expansion of science and technology, ideologies and social values take on new
forms, and as a result of that social structure, social system, and social institutions
change their functioning. The process of industrialization and urbanization has
changed the whole set of social relationships. It is quite visible that the
contemporary world is not changing uniformly and is also manifesting
complexities in social change. Slow and simple forms of social change may
intersect with quick and intricate forms of social change. Migration of illiterate
persons from remote rural areas to metropolitan cities will affect the institutions of
family life in it, add to stress and strain of daily living due to fast pace of city life
and new social values required for industrial and urban living.

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DEFINITIONS OF SOCIAL CHANGE
From the middle of nineteenth century onwards, a large number of sociologists
have tried to define social change. Some often quoted definitions of social change
are:

 August Comte: Societies progress through a series of predictable stages

based on the development of human knowledge.
 Anderson and Parker: Social Change involves alterations in the structure
or functioning of social forms or processes themselves.
 Davis: By social change it is meant only such alterations as occur in social
organization, that is, structure and functions of society.
 Gillin and Gillin: Social changes are variations from the accepted modes of
life; whether due to alteration in geographical conditions, in cultural
equipment or composition of the population, etc.
 Ginsberg, M.: By social change, I understand a change in social structure
e.g. the size of society, the composition or balance of its parts or the type of
its organization.
 Mazumdar, H.T.: Social change may be defined as a new fashion or mode,
either modifying or replacing the old, in the life of people, or in the
operations of society
 Smelser, Neil J.: Social change is the alterations of the way societies are
organized. The important features that emerge from the definitions of social
change are:
o Social change is the effect of certain causes.
o Social change modifies social structure, social organization and social
functioning.
o It modifies the life-pattern of people.
o Technological and cultural changes are different from social change.
o Social change is reflected through social attitudes, social values and
ways of living.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL CHANGE
1. Social change is universal or it is an essential law.

2. Change with diff. in speed & form simple society … change was slower.

3. Change is unpredictable in general Revol is a process of social change. What

speed & in what form the change takes place is not easily predictable.

4. Social change is change in community

5. Social change generally changes in direction. There are 3 patterns of social

change.

i. linear failure change generally leads to progress (change for good)

can't cycle –car – train –plain

ii. Fluctuating change – the change may be upward & downward. The
demographic change is such also economic change,

iii. Cyclical change – the change is in a cycle. Fashion, sometimes also in

economical aspect (Karl max gave this idea. He says earlier there was
no private property & we may go back to it).

ECONOMIC FACTORS OF SOCIAL CHANGE

Economic factors influence the quality and direction of social change. We can
explain by studying the following theoretical evidences:

A) Marxian View: Karl Marx is the chief architect of the economic theory of
social change. He believes that social change is basically the result of
economic factors. The mode of production determines the social, cultural,
religious and political aspect of society.

Thus, he traced the development of society from agricultural to feudalism to

capitalism and finally, to socialism. A revolution carried out by the workers
against the capitalist would end the ills of capitalism and lead to the
establishment of a socialist society.
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 B) Industrial Revolution: The Industrial Revolution which started in Europe
in the late 17th century slowly found its way across the globe bringing about
the following changes:
a) Production moved out of households to factories.
b) Capital acquired a greater role in the production process.
c) The occupational structure of the workforce changed from largely
agrarian to an increasingly larger industrial workforce.
d) People from all strata of society took to industrial activity.
e) Women moved out of homes in large numbers and entered the workforce.
f) Barriers of religion, belief etc. crumbled as the demand for labour
increased.
g) Urbanisation took place at an accelerated pace.
h) It triggered changes in other spheres like mass transport and
communication too, thus radically altering the existing social structure.

All these changes had a dramatic impact on social relationships and brought about
a lasting social change.

• The role of woman changed with their economic independence.

• Similarly, production relationships changed from one amongst kinsmen
to a largely impersonal relationship between the “employer” and the
“employee” where skills and not royalty became the prime criterion for
employment.

• Caste structure weakened in urban centres and workers of different

castes and religions became increasingly comfortable working with each
other.

• Urbanisation, in its wake, brought about other changes. The provision of

facilities like hospitals, schools, smaller houses all meant that the
dependence on family decreased. This was also triggered by the
revolutionary changes in mass transport system, which enabled people to
move to far-flung places where employment opportunities existed.

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 • Finally, the large influx of wage earners and self-employed to urban
centres gave rise to a large and powerful middle class in the society
influencing political discourse favouring the ideas of democracy,
meritocracy and egalitarianism.

C) Green Revolution As population rise, consequently the demand for food

grew, the situation warranted a close look at increasing agricultural
productivity and the answer that finally helped India to become self
sufficient in food has been termed the “Green Revolution” which is a name
given to the dramatic changes brought about in the field of agriculture since
the late 1960s.

This had a great impact on the family relationships as it triggered largescale

seasonal migration from states like Orissa, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh to
Punjab and Haryana, the cradle of the Green Revolution. Additionally,
another significant outcome was a widening of inequality across states in
general and among the “landed and the “landless” in particular.

POLITICAL FACTORS OF SOCIAL CHANGE

Law act as an instrument of socio-economic and political change in society. It
protects the interests of the weaker sections of society, particularly of those
belonging to the scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and other backward castes in
India.

Law also protect the interests of women, children and other disadvantaged section
of society. In 1829, a law was passed banning sati. A century later, another law
fixed the minimum age for marriage. Still later, another law has banned the
practice of giving and taking of dowry. Article 17 of the Indian constitution has
abolished untouchability.

Thus, the role of law as an instrument of social change finds full expression where
law comes in confrontation with social customs. The role of elections is also
important factors of social change. The right to vote stimulates interest in public

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affairs and is an important means of imparting education to masses. It inculcates a
sense of self-respect and responsibility among the citizens.

The political environment of a country or region can have a huge impact on how
your message is seen and understood. Politics can be affected by religion,
elections, wars, geographical location, and many other factors.

In many western countries, like the United States, Canada and much of Western
Europe, religion and politics are separate. If you are marketing to them you don’t
typically have to worry about government interference if your content doesn’t line
up with the primary religion’s teachings. However, in other regions, like the
Middle East, where religion and politics are deeply intertwined, if your content
goes against their religious beliefs you can expect serious consequences.

In countries, like China, where the government has total control and internet
censorship is common, you could easily have your website blocked for not abiding
by their laws. Some of the most commonly known sites blocked in China include:
Google.com (and most of the local versions), Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, The
New York Times, The Economist, Netflix, YouTube, Gmail, Shutterstock, and an
estimated 3,000 other sites blocked in mainland China.

CONCLUSION
Social change is a continuous and unending process in every society. All societies
traditional and modern are constantly evolving. Social change is a process of
alteration with no reference to the quality of change. And changes in society are
related to changes in culture. Several factors trigger social change as for instance
demographic, political, social, cultural, economic and educational factors. Changes
are most often gradual and barely perceptible till we attempt an inter-temporal
analysis. However, occasionally, there are events which bring about dramatic
changes in society

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Betts, P. (2016). Cultural, Political and Social Factors Influence the Meaning
of Translations. Globaliation Partners International.

 William Form, N. W. (1998). Social change. ENCYCLOPÆDIA

BRITANNICA.