TYPES OF HUMAN SOCIETIES

A.K.A. – Economic Lifestyles

Hunter-Gatherer Society•2 million to 10,000 years ago•Hunt animals and gather

edible foods (wild fruits, etc.)•Men do the hunting, women

do the gathering•Must carry possessions –

have few material goods

Hunter-Gatherer Society•Exercise little control over the

environment•Must move to where their

food is - NOMADIC•Must organize themselves to

be in the right place, at right time

Hunter-Gatherer Society•Change sizes of living groups

according to seasonal availability & abundance of food supply

•BANDS – usually 100 or less – most members related by blood or marriage

•Reciprocal Sharing – share on basis of need

Pastoral Society•Developed 12,000-10,000 yrs.

ago•Livestock – those species that

people breed, raise and control for the purposes of providing food (meat, dairy products) or other useful things (hides, wool) or for performing work (carrying people & possessions)

Pastoral Society•Domesticated animals –

animals not in the wild; tamed by humans

•Cattle, sheep, goats, camels, horses, llamas, reindeer, & yaks – provide milk & meat

•Needs of animals for naturally occurring food & water influence seasonal rhythm of lives

Pastoral Society•Types of environment – desert,

grasslands, savanna, tundras and mountains

•Areas where cultivation is impossible or extremely difficult

•Vegetation in these areas are usually indigestible by humans & only eaten by animals

Horticultural Society•Developed 12,000-10,000

years ago•SUBSISTENCE FARMING –

grow only what they need•May keep domesticated

animals, such as pigs and chickens, but do not depend on their products

Horticultural Society•People use energy of only

their muscles in clearing their land, planting, and harvesting

•Use hand tools – digging sticks, shovels, hoes

•Shifting cultivation – “slash and burn” technique

•FALLOW LAND – abandon land when it loses fertility

Horticultural Society•Use other land in the

meantime•Dry land gardening – where

there is low, erratic and unpredictable rainfall

•Sedentary Villages – size and permanence of settlement; avg. 1,000-2,000 people

Agricultural Society•Developed 10,000 years ago•Plow and draft animals – no

longer just human energy•Plow allowed farmer to

control weeds & use them as fertilizer by digging more deeply than with spades, hoes, or digging sticks

Agricultural Society•INTENSIVE FARMING – fields

farmed more frequently and same fields farmed annually

•Produce higher crop yields•New methods – fertilization,

crop rotation, weeding, etc.•Irrigation for rain deficiencies

Agricultural Society•Supports more people•SURPLUS FARMING – grow

more than necessary & use extra for trade, money, to pay laborers, as tax

•Live in CIVILIZATIONS & have specialized form of gov’t

•Allows for specialized division of labor (not all farmers)

Industrial Society•Started w/machine-woven

cotton in houses•Industrial Rev. in 1700s in

England•Factory system – moved from

house into one large bldg.•New machinery – power loom,

water loom, spinning jenny

Industrial Society•Application of science to

create more complex devices•Major source of energy – coal•Major metal – iron ore•Production of steel•Advancements in

transportation and communication

•Colonialism & imperialism

Industrial Society• RESULTS1.Global trade & cultural

exchange2.Urbanization3.Population increase4.Communism v. Socialism v.

Capitalism5.Large gap between rich &

poor

Post-Industrial Society• Mid-1950s to present• Emphasis on providing service

& information instead of a product

• Service industries – banking, insurance, etc.

• More than 50% now employed by service industries (trade, finance, health, entertainment)

Post-Industrial Society• Computer Age – technology• Information Age – knowledge

production• Change is planned & assessed

- effects of an innovation, good & bad, can be considered before it is introduced