Briefly explain how social inequality is linked to the transformation of society

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Greater social equality was found in hunting and gathering societies. Social inequality emerged as people learned to domesticate plants and animals which allowed people to produce and accumulate a food surplus. This food surplus resulted in a more complex division of labor, permitted trade among groups, and led to the accumulation of material goods. This surplus also resulted in the subordination of females by males, the development of the state, and the rule by a small elite group over the others in the society. The development of the agricultural society created a greater degree of inequality, partially due to the feudal system where land ownership was in the hands of a small number of royal and religious elites. As society industrialized, a rising middle class, the production of a vast amount of affordable consumer goods, the abolition of slavery, and the transformation of monarchies to democracies helped distribute wealth more equitably than it was done in the agricultural society. There still exists a great deal of difference between classes in all industrial societies but the differences are in degrees of inequality among many classes.