Answer to Question #297334 in Sociology for mandy.desiree

Question

Identify and list three social conditions or factors, that prevailed in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, that gave birth to sociology as a discipline. Write thorough explanations on each of the three factors chosen.

Answer 1

The foundations of modern sociology could not be said to have been completely established until the nineteenth century. The three major transformations that defined modern society and the culture of modernity: (1) the development of modern science from the 16th century onwards, (2) the emergence of democratic forms of government with the American and French Revolutions (1775–1783 and 1789–1799, respectively), and (3) the Industrial Revolution beginning in the 18th century, provided the impetus for the ideas that culminated in sociology. These events not only set the framework for sociological knowledge, but they also provided the impetus for establishing a science of society.

Early sociologists such as Comte and Marx attempted to construct a rational, evidence-based solution to the immense social disruption caused by the transition from feudalism to capitalism in Europe. From the dissolution of local communities to the hyper-exploitation of industrial laborers, this was a time of extraordinary social difficulties. Whether the goal was to bring order to society's chaotic disintegration, as in Comte's case, or to provide the groundwork for revolutionary change, as in Marx's, a rational and scientifically comprehensive understanding of society and its processes was essential. It was in this environment that "society" in the modern sense of the word first became obvious as a reality to early social scientists.