Stages of the society (Solg 101)

Introduction

Classical social theorists proposed different schemas to explain how societies are organised and how they change over time.

Key theories of social evolution

Ferdinand Tönnies (1855–1936)

Ferdinand Tonnies

Tönnies distinguished two ideal-typical forms of social life:

Gemeinschaft (community) — small-scale, intimate, face-to-face relations based on ascription, kinship, shared values and emotional bonds (e.g., traditional village, extended family).

Gesellschaft (association) — large-scale, impersonal, contractual, and utilitarian relations dominated by formal rules, economic calculation and individual self-interest (e.g., modern city, market organisations).

Herbert Spencer (1820–1903)

Herbert Spencer 

Spencer used an evolutionary analogy (influenced by biological ideas) to describe societal complexity:

Homogeneous (simple) society — small, undifferentiated, many shared roles and values, strong face-to-face ties.

Heterogeneous (complex) society — larger, division of labour increases, differentiated institutions and roles, weaker personal ties and more specialised functions.

Spencer emphasised increasing differentiation and functional complexity as societies “evolve.”

Karl Marx (1818–1883) — Historical Materialism (simplified sequence)

Karl Marx

Marx described historical stages tied to modes of production and class relations (this is a simplified pedagogical sequence often used in textbooks):

1. Communal / Primitive communism — collective ownership of means of production, no class exploitation.

2. Slave society — emergence of class division where slaves are legally and economically subordinated; surplus extracted through direct ownership.

3. Feudalism — land-based hierarchy: nobility (landlords) and serfs/peasants; surplus is extracted through rents/obligations rather than direct ownership of persons.

4. Capitalism — private (capitalist/bourgeois) ownership of the means of production; wage labour (proletariat) produces surplus value for capitalists.

5. Socialism (transitional) — social ownership or strong social control of major means of production; aim to end class rule and reorganise production democratically.

6. Communism (end-goal) — classless, stateless society where goods are distributed by need; Marx famously summarised the ideal distribution principle as “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” Marx predicted the state would “wither away” as class antagonisms disappear.

Clarification: Marx’s schema is rooted in analysis of economic relations (mode of production, class struggle) rather than a simple chronological list of stages that mechanically follow one another everywhere.

Samir Amin — modification (tribute/tributary formation)

Samir Amin (1931–2018), a Marxist scholar of global political economy, argued that not all societies followed the classical capitalist sequence exactly. He emphasised:

Society goes through change in line with Karl Marx with a difference of (Tribute paying)

1. Communal 
2. Slave
3. Tribute paying:- this is a community where by the serfs (subject) gives tribute to the rulers of the society.
4. Capitalism
5. Socialism
6. Communism

This modification helps explain historical formations (e.g., many pre-colonial states, imperial polities) that don’t fit neatly into a single linear sequence.

Short comparisons 

• Tönnies focuses on types of social bonds (communal vs contractual).
• Spencer focuses on degree of differentiation/complexity (homogeneous → heterogeneous).
• Marx focuses on modes of production and class relations (how economic structures produce social classes and change).
•  Samir Amin retains Marxian focus on production but adds tributary forms to account for variations in surplus extraction (important for non-European and colonial contexts).

Conclusion

These classical and neo-Marxian frameworks offer different lenses for understanding social organisation and historical change: Tönnies highlights the nature of social bonds, Spencer stresses increasing structural differentiation, Marx explains change by shifts in economic relations and class struggle, and Samir Amin refines Marx by showing alternative forms of surplus extraction (tribute). Together they give students multiple, complementary ways to analyse how societies are structured and why they transform over time.

References 

Introduction to Sociology: Prof. Gyon

Wikipedia contributors