WHY DO SOCIETIES REVOLT?
Humans rely on culture to adapt to the
environment – whereas other organisms
rely on biology
FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE
Provide for production and distribution of
necessary goods and services
Provide for biological continuity of members of
society (promote inclusive fitness/ promote the
ability of the individuals offspring to meet their
future needs)
Enculture new members positively
Maintain order, internally and externally
FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE
Motivate members to survive and thrive
Must be able to change and remain adaptive in
changed conditions
Change is both inevitable and necessary
Part of the twin laws of tradition
Change can be positive (growth) or negative
(decline)
WHAT IS SOCIETY?
• Society is ultimately a group of individuals
• The needs of the individuals must be balanced
with the needs of society (individual vs
common good)
• If the needs of the individual are not met, then
the individual takes too much stress
And then society will suffer through loss of the
individual, through revolution, etc….
• Typically those in the upper class are able to
manipulate the circumstances so they receive
less stress than those in lower classes
• Revolutions occur when enough people lose
faith in societies ability to meet their needs
• Typically the lower classes are marginalized
for extended periods of time while the loss of
faith creeps upward socially
• There are often built in hurdles that keep
society stratified (ie distribution of wealth,
laws targeting/restricting certain societal
groups, two tiered justice system, etc)
• Those hurdles are safeguarded by groomed,
educated, encultured people who strive to
some day reach the upper echelons of society.
They believe they can make it to the top –
they are invested in the status quo
• When the people who safeguard the
hurdles of stratification feel like they no
longer have the opportunity to meet
their perceived expectations then they
throw off their façade, quit towing the
party line and join the lower classes in
petitioning the upper classes to reform
Typically those whom once safeguarded
the status quo that are well versed in the
internal workings of society can game
the system in reverse for the benefit of
the lower echelons of society at the
expense of the top
• Often those who are in power do not
recognize the societal transition as valid
and shrug off reform. It is at this point
when society is primed for a revolution
all it needs is a spark
• More about that spark in France
tomorrow!
VOCAB: QUIZ ON FRIDAY
1. Old Regime
2.Estate
3.Louis XVI
4.Marie Antoinette
5.Estates General
6.National Assembly
7. Tennis Court Oath
8.Great Fear
9.Tithe
10. deficit
11. mercenary army
12. bourgeoisie