FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE EMERGENCE OF SOCIOLOGY

DARK AGES

AGE OF ENLIGHTMENT

MODERNITY

INTELLECTUAL INDUSTRIAL COMMERCIAL

REVOLUTION REVOLUTION REVOLUTION

1.POLITICAL DIMENSION OF MODERNITY

MODERNITY 2. ECONOMIC
DEMINSION
4.SOCIAL 3.INTELLECTUAL
DIMENSION DIMENSION

DARK AGES
(between 5th to 14th c, lasting 900 years)European society before the
age of enlightment was characterised by agricultural feudal estate system.
The people that time were having very orthodox regious and political view.
The kings were engaging in wars continuously unmindful for the lives of the
people, and they don’t bring any welfare measures for the people. People
excessively rely on religion
Age of enlightenment(renaissance period)

(1686-1815). philosophical movement that dominated europe in 17 and 18th

century throug out europe questioned tradional authority, started form late
17th c to the end of the napoleonic wars in 1815.reasoning , individualism and
skepticism developed, advocated ideals like freedom,humanity and brother
hoodAfter the dark ages the Euroopean Society faced modernity. Modernity is
expected to enlighten the life of people but it was associated with some
problems also
1.For example when we talk about the macro level changes the moderity
brought -the industrail society
2. Democreacy was emerged, till then it was authoritarian rule.
3. A middle class was emerged
4. New intelllectuals emerged.

Modenity brought new social problem and challenges,Indusrial society is also

not smooth. The working condition was bad,poor wages ,more working
hours.Migrants were more in industrial society, this cause d the emergence of
slums near the factories. Because of migration nuclear family emerged ;
domestic violence was more. New types of crimes emerged. Altogether in
industial society new type of poverty and deprivation emerged.

Emergence of democracy
Transition from authoritatian to democracy in certain parts of Europe was
gradual, but in France it was proceeded by a revolution.the people were not
sure about the success of democracy.
That created uncertainity in the minds of the people. People never had any
experience before regarding democracy.
Societies like fFrance faced this kind of problem relating to the susccess of
democracy.

Middle class
Middle classs -a newly arised class. Their aspirations were completely
different. Before this society was based on upper class and lower class. A
need to redefine the society was felt. Middle class created a social divide.
Middle class was one of the cause for emergence of sociology.
Intellectual Background
All the above provided the impulse for the need of separate discipline,
but without intellectual thinking there wont be emergence of sociology. At that
time very well developed political history was there which provided new data.
th
New methods were devised, for example survey method in 19
century.This method enabled to study the society in scientific way. Darwin’s
theory of biological evolution helps in understanding the society also. Marx
view on workers and capitalists,(socialism and communisim) also served the
evolution of sociology. Intellectuals started thiking of a discipline which could
explaing all the social problems. The existing bodies of languages like history,
geography, philosophy and political science cannot explain the changes.
There was a need for the new discipline which explains changes,
provides the solution and predicts the future of society. Intellectuals thought
thinking of new discipline. French philosophers like Saint Simon and August
Comte thought of this new discipline.Saint Simon initially kept the name
Social physics on the line to natural sciences. Later August Comte not only
coined the tem SOCIOLOGY but also laid the basic foundation of sociology .
He is consisdered the father of sociology. Therfore the emergence of
sociology is the complex interplay of number of factors.

Emergence of Sociology
The beginning of the tradition of Social Sciences have been one of
the major developments of the 19th century, Social Sciences such as
History, Political Science, Economics, Psychology,Sociology etc., though
have a long history of their own, could get the recognition as “social
sciences” only in the 18th and 19th centuries. During these period, the
great intellectual processes of Renaissance, Reformation and
Enlightenment gave a big impetus to the continuation of the tradition of
scientific thinking which had just begun.
The major factors which favored the emergency of sociology are
as follows:
1. Impact of the twin Revolution:-
a) The French Revolution. and
b) The Industrial Revolution.
2. Inspiration from the Growth of Natural and other social sciences.
3. Inspiration provided by the studies of different societies and cultures.
(i) Impact of the Twin Revolution:
Sociology emerged in the context of the sweeping changes that the
twin revolutions, namely (a) The French Revolution, and (b) Industrial
Revolution, brought to Europe.
(a) Influence of the French Revolution (1789):
The French Revolution was the most immediate factor in the rise of
sociological thinking. the new political climate emphasized liberty,
equality, fraternity, justice, indiudual right & thinking. The writers
and thinkers of the day were particularly disturbed by the chaos and
disorder which the Revolution brought in. Some of the radical thinkers
sought the need to find out new bases of social order or system which
had been disturbed by the political revolutions. This interest in the
issue of social order evinced by the social thinkers ultimately
supported the cause of the emergence of sociology.
(b) The impact of the Industrial Revolution:
The Industrial Revolution that began in England in the 18th century
swept through many western societies. The Social effects of Industrial
Revolution were many. The revolution led to factory system of
production which in turn gave place to mechanisation and
industrialisation. The simple rural life and domastic industries were
replaced by complex urban life and mass production of goods.
Industrialisation changed the direction of civilisation.
Peasants left rural areas and flocked towns, Cities started growing at
a very fast rate. Growing population in the cities created problems,
such as Housing problem, Water problem, Sanitary and Security.
Cities also became the centers of crime, gambling,Alcoholismestabilshed ,
immorality and so on questioned Political orders and
religious beliefs were also adversely affected.
The Revolution affected human thinking:
Social thinkers and Sociologists like Auguste Comte, Emile
Durkheim, Karl Marx, Max Weber, George Simmel and others were
also very much disturbed by these great upheavals Auguste Cotme
Herbert, Spencer and others strongly advocated the need to establish
a separate science of society.
They believed that such on independent Science [That is, Science of
Society] would be able to find solutions to many of the social problems
of the day. Their attempts in that direction resulted in the birth of a
new science called “Sociology”.
(ii) Inspiration from the Growth of natural and other social sciences:
The age of Enlightenment and the era of Revolutions increased the
importance of Science in Society. Science Subjects came to introduced
as major subjects of learning in several colleges and universities in
the west. Further technological products from coal to stream engines,
from sward to hand gun and canons: form pen and paper to printing
press, and the like started entering almost all sectors of life. Science
thus, started acquiring enormous prestige in society.
The success attained by the natural scientists inspired and even
tempted good number of social thinkers to imitate their example.
Many thinkers wanted to model sociology after the successful physical
and biological sciences, Comte, Durkheim, Spencer, Weber, Simmel
and others successfully demonstrated that the methods of physical
sciences could be used effectively to study the social world.
(iii)Inspiration provided by the newly discovered societies and cultures:
The colonial powers of Europe such as England, France, Portugal,
Spain, Holland, Germany, and other nations came in contact with
deferent societies and cultures in the colonies.
Their exposures to such diversities in cultures provided an intellectual
challenge for the social scientists of the day. Information about the
widely contrasting social practices of these distant peoples raised
fresh questions about society. Why some societies were more advanced
that others? What lessons could the European countries learn
fromcomparisons of various societies? Why the rate of Social change was
not the same every where? - The new science of society called
“Sociology” emerged as an independent science in an attempt to find
convincing answer to these and to many such questions.