SOCIOCULTURAL AND POLITICAL EVOLUTION

2. As societies respond to the threats and
challenges posed by the environment, they
develop culture. The development of culture
through time , called as cultural evolution,
led to the transformation of different societies
and political systems, a process called
sociopolitical evolution. This transformation
produces major levels of sociocultural and
political developments, namely : hunting and
gathering, horticultural and pastoral,
agricultural, industrial and post-industrial
societies.

3. Societies are of different types and
their types depend on their level of
development. These include the
following:
1. Hunting and Gathering
2. Horticultural
3. Pastoral
4. Agricultural
5. Industrial
6. Post-industrial

5. Oldest and most basic way of economic
subsistence.
Hunting and gathering societies produce
simple forms of tools used to hunt animals
and gather plants and vegetation for food.
The men are tasked to hunt large animal
game like deer, elk, moose, and other
animals available in their areas.
The women on the other hand, are
responsible for the collection of vegetation,
berries, and small edible crops.

6. The relationship between men and
women as being equal.
Since hunting and gathering societies
rely on nature for their food, they
frequently move and do not have
permanent settlements.
They are nomadic societies.
They live in caves and pit or
underground houses that are dug and
covered with tree branches and
leaves.

7. These societies lived in small groups
with only 20 to 30 members.
Family is the basic unit of hunting and
gathering societies.
They usually have a shaman or a
priest who acts as the leader of the
group.
Since hunters and gatherers rely on
nature for food and survival, they
believe that spirits live in the world.

9.  Developed around 10,000 years ago and they
are described as semi-sedentary societies.
(They do not frequently move)
 These societies subsists through small-scale
farming.
 They produce and use simple forms of hand
tools to plant crops.
 They use hoes and digging sticks to bore
holes in the grounds for seed planting.
 In horticultural societies, there is a surplus of
food.
 Some of its members engage in other forms
of subsistence like making crafts and trading.
 Some members become priests.

10.  Pastoral Societies developed around 10,000
years ago.
 Means of subsistence of pastoralists is animal
domestication.
 Developed in dry regions of the world where
raising crops was not possible.
 Engaged in small-scale trading with other
groups.
 They are described as semisedentary as well
because they have settlements but they do not
stay in one place permanently.
 Both horticultural and pastoral societies are
described as having unequal social relations
because some members acts as the ruling elite.

12. Agricultural societies began 5,000 years
ago during the Neolithic Period.
Agricultural Societies started to cultivate
wheat, barley, peas, rice, and millet
between 8000 and 3500 BCE.
During this time, humans began to farm
and domesticate animals as their forms of
subsistence.
Neolithic people produced cultivation tools
and developed farming skills that can
support and sustain a town with a
population of over a thousand people.

13. The abundant supply of resources
produced through plant cultivation led to
the rise of the early civilizations.
This new form of economic subsistence
eventually spread in different parts of the
world and it became known as the
Neolithic Revolution, which transformed
societies into agricultural societies.
Animal domestication provided important
contributions to the Neolithic people.

14. Animal meat provided them with
more sources of protein while
animal hides and skin served as
materials for clothes.
Animal horns and bones were
also utilized for making needles
and other utensils while animal
manure was used as soil
fertilizers.

15. Agricultural Societies developed and their
population increased into millions.
They settled permanently and improved
the technology for farming
Members of society produced surplus of
food supply that were transported by
animal-powered wagons.
As the society developed and its members
developed specialization, money became
a form of exchange replacing the barter
system.
Increase in social inequality.

16.  New sources of energy were harnessed, advanced forms
of technology were applied, and machineries were
invented.
 This changes led to industrialization or the transformation
of an agricultural society into a production-and
manufacturing based one.
 Used of advanced sources of energy that operated
factory machineries.
 Created centralized workplaces, economic
interdependence, formal education, and complex social
systems.
 During this time, people left their farm lands and
transferred to the urban areas to work in factories.

17. The post-industrial revolution is an
important development from the Industrial
Revolution as economic production
focused on the use and application of new
information technology rather than
factories.
Macionis writes that production “centers on
computers and other electronic devices
that create, process, and apply ideas and
information.”

18. According to Bell (1999), post-industrial
societies are characterized by the
following:
1. Transfer of labor workplace from
manufacturing to service
2. A significant increase in the number of
professional and technical employment
and a decline in the number skilled and
semiskilled workers
3. Education as the basis of social mobility
4. Human capital as an essential aspect of
understanding the strength of society

19. 5. Application of “intellectual
technology” which is based on the
application of mathematics and
linguistics and the use of algorithms
and software programming models
6. Focus on communication
infrastructure
7. Knowledge as source of invention
and innovation.

20. The development of the early
civilizations showed the political
evolution of society. A civilization
develops because of a society’s highly
advanced level of culture, social
organization, political developments,
judicial system, arts, and other forms of
culture at a particular time.

21. The four major civilizations in the world
flourished along the rich river of plains or river valleys.
These includes the following:
• Sumerian civilization that developed along the
Tigris and Euphrates River in West Asia
• Indus Valley civilization that started along the
Indus River Valley in India
• Shang civilization of China that developed near
the Huang Ho/Huang He River
• Egyptian civilization that started along the Indus
Nile River.
These river valley civilizations are considered
the cradles of human civilization because it was in
these river valley systems where the Chinese, Indian,
Egyptian, and Sumerian civilizations developed and
flourished.

22. The political system of the early
civilizations had a clear hierarchy of
officials with specific functions and
responsibilities. They also had codified
laws and rules that were obeyed and
followed by the people. The early
civilizations also developed an
organized, stable, and effective
government to ensure the safety of the
people and supervise the production
and distribution of the food supply.

23. Political leaders of early
civilizations were also tasked to do
the following:
1. Craft Laws
2. Implement Laws
3. Impose justice and punishment
4. Collect taxes
5. Sometimes act as religious
leader as well.

24. Social Class Sumer Egypt Indus Valley Shang
Political
leader and
highest social
class
Priests and
Royalty
Pharaoh Brahmin King Priest
Other social
classes
1. Wealthy
merchants
2. Ordinary
workers
1. Government
officials
2. Soldiers
3. Scribes
4. Merchants
5. Craftsmen
6. Peasants
7. Slaves
1. Kshatriyas
2. Vaisyas
3. Sudras
4. Pariah
Working class
(farmers,
craftsmen,
soldiers)