Chapter Preview · Section 4
Industrial and Postindustrial Societies (pages 159–164)
The Industrial Revolution created a new type of society
called an industrial society. Characteristics that
distinguish this society from all earlier ones include the
growth of large cities and a widespread dependence on
machines and technology. Postindustrial society has a
predominately white-collar labor force that is concentrated
in service industries. Social instability has been linked to
the transition from an industrial to a postindustrial society.
• industrial society
• mechanical solidarity
• mechanization
• organic solidarity
• urbanization
• postindustrial society
• gemeinschaft
• gesellschaft
• social solidarity
Which technology do you think has
made the biggest impact on our
society?
A. Personal computers
B. Assembly lines
C. Robots
0%
A
A. A
B. B
C.0% C
B
0%
C
Basic Features of Industrial Societies
• The industrial society is one that is
dependent upon science and technology
to produce its basic goods and services.
Basic Features of Industrial Societies
(cont.)
• When societies shift from agricultural to
industrial, some of the structural changes are:
– A loss of simplicity and a gain of
scientific knowledge
– Animal and human labor is replaced by
machines (mechanization)
–Operated by wage earners
Agricultural
Employment
Basic Features of Industrial Societies
(cont.)
– Urbanization—the movement from the
country to the city
– Families function differently
–Economic activities no longer in
home, but in factories
–Education now focuses on workforce
and does not take place in the home
–Blood relationships decline as
families separate to take jobs in other
locations.
Which of the following is a way that
the family structure changed once an
industrial society emerged?
A. Women became more
subordinate to their
husbands.
B. Family unity became
less important.
0%
C. Education was taught
at home.
A
A. A
B. B
C.0% C
B
0%
C
A Conversation with Two Sociologists
• Tonnies’s view—two types of society:
– Gemeinschaft = community; a society
based on tradition, kinship, and intimate
social relationships.
– Gesellschaft = industrial society; weak
family ties, competition, and less
personal social relationships.
A Conversation with Two Sociologists
(cont.)
• Durkheim’s view:
– Social solidarity is the degree to which
a society is unified or can hold itself
together in the face of obstacles.
A Conversation with Two Sociologists
(cont.)
• Two types of society that depend on
solidarity:
– Mechanical solidarity applies when
members of a society hold the same beliefs,
values, and norms; they tend to conform
and depend on tradition and family to fulfill
their needs.
– Organic solidarity applies when members
of an industrial society depend on a variety
of people to fulfill their needs.
The following are characteristics of
mechanical solidarity EXCEPT
A. Group placed above
the individual
B. Pressure for conformity
0%
D
A
B
0%
C
D
C
0%
A
D. Tradition and
family important
A.
B.
0%
C.
D.
B
C. Needs filled by a variety
of people
Major Features of Postindustrial
Society
• In a postindustrial society, the economic
emphasis is on providing services and
information rather than on producing
goods through basic manufacturing.
Major Features of Postindustrial
Society (cont.)
• Five features of this society, according to
Daniel Bell:
– For the first time, the majority of the
labor force are employed in services
rather than in agriculture or
manufacturing.
– White-collar employment replaces much
blue-collar work.
Major Features of Postindustrial
Society (cont.)
– Technical knowledge is the key organizing
feature in the postindustrial society.
– Technological change is planned and
assessed.
– Computer modeling is relied upon in all
areas.
What was the major economic
emphasis placed on during the
postindustrial society?
A. Providing services
B. Agriculture
C. Raising animals
D. All of the above
0%
A
A.
B.
0%
C.
D.
B
A
B
0%
C
D
C
0%
D
Social Instability in Postindustrial
Society
• Historian Francis Fukuyama believes that
the transition to a service economy has
increased social instability in nations
undergoing this change.
• However, he sees current indications of a
return to social stability because humans
find it difficult to live without values and
norms.
Do you agree with Fukuyama’s
observations?
A. Strongly agree
B. Somewhat agree
C. Disagree
D. Not sure
0%
A
A.
B.
0%
C.
D.
B
A
B
0%
C
D
C
0%
D
industrial society
a society that depends on science and
technology to produce its basic goods and
services
mechanization
the process of replacing animal and human
power with machine power
urbanization
the shifting of population from farms and
villages to large cities
gemeinschaft
pre-industrial society based on tradition,
kinship, and close social ties
gesellschaft
industrial society characterized by weak
family ties, competition, and impersonal social
relationships
social solidarity
the degree to which a society is unified
mechanical solidarity
a type of social unity achieved by people
doing the same type of work and holding
similar values
organic solidarity
a type of social unity in which members’
interdependence is based on specialized
functions and statuses
postindustrial society
a society in which the economic emphasis is
on providing services and information