Example research essay topic: Traditional Societies Physical Punishment - 1,975 words

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... a large proportion of which are reinvested in new plant; and these new industries, in turn, stimulate, through their rapidly expanding requirement for factory workers, the services to support them, and for other manufactured goods, a further expansion in urban areas and in other modern industrial plants. The whole process of expansion in the modern sector yields an increase of income in the hands of those who not only save at high rates but also place their savings at the disposal of those engaged in modern sector activities. The new class of entrepreneurs expands; and it directs the enlarging flows of investment in the private sector. The economy exploits hitherto unused natural resources and methods of production. New techniques spread in agriculture as well as industry, as agriculture is commercialized, and increasing numbers of farmers are prepared to accept the new methods and the deep changes they bring to ways of life.

The revolutionary changes in agricultural productivity are an essential condition for successful take-off; for modernization of a society increases radically its bill for agricultural products. In a decade or two both the basic structure of the economy and the social and political structure of the society are transformed in such a way that a steady rate of growth can be, thereafter, regularly sustained. In the Appendix 2 we can find the comparative analyse of culture in the traditional and modern society. There are a lot of differences between two phases of the modernization in the field of politics, economy, society, knowledge and culture (App. 4). Such as, the knowledge economy (new economy), knowledge society, information society, network, internet, cyberspace, electric commerce, globalization, innovation, life-time learning, diversity and ecology became the hot issues around the world.

In 1999, Prof. He Chuanqi thought that after classical modernization (first modernization) was the second modernization (App 3). As for question about socialism and it influence to the transition to modern economy, in the period of modern economy since East Central European countries, has undertaken changes towards a market economy, democratisation and a liberal polity. One of the most crucial elements in the whole process of transition is the implementation of new reforms and social policies, which are aimed at building a civil and democratic society.

Variety of social costs one may expect to be paid by a post-socialist society when it is on the way of transformation. Declining standard of living, job losses, limited level of consumption, deepening gap between the poor and the rich, and many others. The hypothesis of the paper is: this was a conflict between cultural and social project of modernity. Others say between democracy and capitalism, or liberty and discipline, autonomy and fragmentation etc.

Post communist as may also post-colonial societies have inherited all ambiguities of modernity. Modernity, which is the inevitable result of the contemporary changes in post-communist countries, entails a certain dualism between autonomy and fragmentation or a more elemental struggle between cultural entity and economic progress. The following four dilemmas confront a society in the process of transformation: 1. Homo sovietizes as post-communist mentality vs.

new, brave open personality. 2. Tradition vs. modernisation. 3. Conservatism vs. liberalism. 4. Feeling threatened by current circumstances individuals vs.

self-confident, open for challenges individuals. Economists usually considering costs and benefits displaying typical economic indicators such as changes in output, consumption, inflation, unemployment, foreign trade etc. However, economics and economists do not treat social costs as a major issue, sociologically, the idea of social costs has not found the recognition as it deserves. The discussion over social costs took place in sixties when companies were transformed to a modern phase. The basic sources of social costs in a society in transition might be found in the fact that the pursuit of private gain places a premium on the minimisation of the private costs of transformation.

Losses can be minimised or avoided by appropriate measures. It is a task for policy makers to estimate the size of probable costs and consider such tools which may help to reduce or even avoid outlays burden by society. Although one must stress that there are some costs which cannot be predicted at all. The problem is that such estimation should be done before reforms and new policies are introduced. As foregoing appraisal is very complex, as the result much work done by the governmental institutions is devoted to help those who are paying the most costs instead preventing of number of social losses. However, activities of different interest and pressure groups often hinder policy makers from undertaking proper social costs reducing measures. (Kapp, 1963, 16).

This is a result of the expansion of popular control over economic institution and policy makers as well as a result of democratic political system development. It bears in mind an issue whether democracy helps to control policy makers and development of the economy simultaneously restraining the rapid economic change and growth. Thus, social costs are sometimes considered as the short-run price paid for high level productivity and social performance of the economic system in the long run. (Kapp, 1963, 17) Social costs are unavoidable - there is not doubt about it. The dilemma is their size and their consequences.

What is the total price of economy progress? None is able to estimate the social costs precisely, but they must be predicted to calculate the balance between social losses and social benefits. If there is no balance between costs and benefits, the effectiveness of the economic processes cannot be perceived as beneficiary for the society who burdens these costs. When deliberate that task another question appears, whether the endeavour to eliminate or at least to minimise the social costs is an end of change and economics progress?

In the process of transition from state-controlled economy to market economy social costs are implicitly included. A society who decides to go along such a path determines to charge itself with unavoidable costs of changes. A society is a complex entity. There is always a division into those who burden huge cost and those who merely burden, who take advantage of the situation. People carried the most weight of social costs of the transition may push to a standstill of changes.

Such a momentum can bear a necessity to make a choice between progress and democratic rules which let people make their own decisions. Appendix 1. Categories Stage One Stage Two Stage Three Stage Four Dates early centuries until 1500 s 1600 s to mid- 1800 s mid- 1800 s- 1940 1940 s to present population growth stable: high death rate, high birth rate rapid growth: decline in death rates, high births decline in death rate and in birth rate You fill in the blanks! economic system feudal agrarian increased merchant class but still agrarian growth of middle class and wage labor political organization The Pope & the Catholic Church - ultimate authority shift to democratic principles & individualism American Revolution Civil War, end of racial slavery, and start of women's rights family structure nuclear and patriarchal nuclear and patriarchal conjugal, breadwinner Women obedient & frugal wives, bore many children. high maternal mortality growing recognition of women's emancipation Republican motherhood, the true woman: roles become defined as personality children many died in infancy.

obedient, little adults still "seen but not heard" with high infant morality growing recognition of special development of children Discipline physical punishment physical punishment psychological methods source of social change: health conditions Black plague killed about 1 / 3 of the population better nutrition and early medical technology sanitation, birth control, inoculation sources of social change: economic innovation exploration of the New World brought trade growth and the new capitalism 16 th science brought improved methods of food production & medicine corporate capitalism and the growth of industry & markets source of social change: philosophical innovation century Protestant Reformation & the printed Bible 16 th The Enlightenment & the age of reason Positivism and experience as the source of knowledge source of social change: technological innovation Galileo & Newton triggered the scientific revolution that increased faith in human reason and logic 16 th & 17 th industrialization and innate forms of power brought mass production continued industrialization and fossil fuels that enabled mass transportation as well as the automobile urbanization Appendix 2. Tradition Modern Level of technology individual must spend most of his or her available time carrying out tasks essential for survival: providing forthe food, clothing, and shelter of the family He gets up in the morning and through out the day exercises choice after choice: in what he eats, what wears, his place of work, his companions, his entertainment, and soon. He is so used to this that it is difficult for him even to conceptualize what life is like in a traditional society, where there is very little no choice. Availability of goods Limited the choice does not belong to the individual but to the collective workings of his society.

He must defer to those above in the society's hierarchy and must obey them in whatever they ask him to do. But even these, the elders of the society, are not free agents because their choices are alsopredeter mined by the pressures of the society and its traditional patterns. Unlimited, the choice does not belong to the individual but to the collective workings of his society. He must defer to those above in the society's hierarchy and must obey them in whatever they ask him to do. But even these, the elders of the society, are not free agents (although they are somewhat freer than other members of the society) because their choices are also predetermined by the pressures of the society and its traditional patterns. Area of change Built upon age-old patterns of behavior that are resistant to change.

Although change has occurred in all of these societies over the centuries, the change is very slow and slight so that it is barely perceptible within an individual's lifetime. In the present day, these traditional societies have inevitably been placed under a great deal of pressure to change through their contact with modern society. change may be due to technological progress, changing work practices, or it may be the outcome of the individual's choice in moving to a new area. The point is that not only are a large number of choices open to the individual but he is fully prepared conceptually to effect changes in his life style and environment. Appendix 3. Appendix 4.

Attachment 5. field First Modernization Second Modernization Politics Democracy, Constitution Knowledge power, Individual, International Economy Industrial economy, Concentration, Machinery, Automation Knowledge economy, Decentralization, Intelligence, Network, Global electric commerce Society Industrial society, Urbanization, Wealth, Small family Knowledge society, Suburbs, Network, Family diversity Knowledge Scientific knowledge, Primary and second education, Information transmission Knowledge industry, High education, Innovation, Life-time learning Culture Industrial civilization Religion secular, Reasonable, Freedom, Equality Knowledge civilization Culture industry, Culture diversity, Natural, Ecology Worked Cite: Ji Hee Jung State and Society in Early Socialist Transition Modern History Sourcebook: Charles Fourier: from Theory of Social Organization, 1820 Moon More The Baha'i Faith and Traditional Societies: Exploring Universes of Discourse THE STAGES OFECONOMIC GROWTH: A NON-COMMUNIST MANIFESTO BY W. W. ROSTOW THE FIVE STAGES OF GROWTHA SUMMARY Modern History Sourcebook: Edouard Bernstein: Evolutionary Socialism Stephan Day The Future of Socialism: A Modern Utopia or an Agenda for Change?

Hobsbawn, Eric (1994) - 'The Politics of Britain's Decline' - New Times 16 April 1994. Castels, F. G. (2000). Putting the Economy First: or Does Post modernization Really Matter? Political Studies: 2000 vol. 48, 38 - 50 The Transition to the Ecological Society: An Interview by Takis Fotopoulos Transition to the Global Society. D.

P. Chattopadhyaya Traditional Society, Modern Democracy and Dharma as Religion Hegel's Theory of the Modern State, Shlomo Avineri, 1972. Don Slater, Consumer Culture and Modernity, Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 1997, 230 pages.

Research essay sample on Traditional Societies Physical Punishment