Ch. 5 Society & Inequality

Ch. 5 Society & Inequality

• Society in China:
• Influenced by the states actions.
• State officials were very powerful.
• Powerful officials with status:
• Respected officials had to prepare for various examinations.
• Wealthy families preferred and showed more favor to their sons.
• Peasants/Commoners could only achieve success and power through education.
• Landlord Class:
• Low class peasant farmers were controlled by landowners and tenant farmers.
• State of China tried to sabotage the creation of large estates.
• Peasants/Commoners:
• Peasants and Commoners made up the majority of China’s growing population.
• Peasants/Commoners were known to rebel from time to time.
• Merchants:
• Merchants were looked down upon by the wealthy elite.
• Merchants were also often viewed and classified as self serving.
• Merchants however made a decent living.
• Classes in India:
• Caste as Varna:
• Began to grow through the diversity of the many cultures and social differences.
• Varna Theory:
• Groups made up of four classifications: Brahmins, Priests, Scholars and Teachers.
• Caste as Jati:
• Occupations determined social classes.
• Similarities to Varna.
• Only allowed to eat with and marry those that were also apart of Jati.
• An individual couldn’t rise in social status but a Jati as a collective could.
• Caste functions:
• Social Security was provided.
• The wealthy few controlled and mistreat the poor majority.
• Slavery and Roman Empire:
• How did slavery emerge?
• The use of domesticated animals created the blueprint for human slavery.
• Patriarchy, the idea that those in power needed to micromanage the poor and underserved.
• Patriarchy also micromanaged women, they were not seen as equal but less than.
• Slavery in civilization:
• Slavery in a civilized state meant that you had no rights.
• Most civilizations functioned on the sole use of slaves.
• China didn’t rely much on slaves but on convicts.
• Roman Slavery:
• The Roman civilization was notorious for the use of slaves.
• Slaves made up about ⅓ of the Roman population.
• Those with wealth and power owned 2-3 slaves of their own.
• How were slaves acquired?
• They were original war prisoners.
• Their mothers and fathers were slaves and they unfortunately were born into slavery.
• Resistance and rebellion:
• War prisoners would take their own lives in order to not be slaves.
• Some were known to flee to any place that was safe.
• Some situations involved the slaves fighting back and killing their slave owner.
• Patriarchy then and now:
• Patriarchy is more oppressive today than it was during the Classical Era.
• Women played important roles in our World History but still face oppression.

It was frustrating to have to read about how slavery was so rampant in earlier times and how we in our current society still carry some of those ideals that someone is not equal or worthy of basic human rights because of the color of their skin or their socioeconomic status. So many years have passed by, so many and yet we can still see some of these attributes in our society, politics and workplaces. It makes me ask, have we really evolved and learned from history’s past?