Types of Societies

Guns, Germs, and Steel—The Fates of Human Societies by

Jared Diamond

Types of Societies

Society = a group of people living together in a

particular place or at a particular time and

having many things in common

Band

Tribe

Chiefdom

State

Different types of societies

Element = a point of comparison which is

contained in the different types of societies

Membership

Government

Economy

Society

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Membership

Number of

People

dozens hundreds

thousands over 50,000

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Membership

Settlement

Pattern

nomadic fixed: 1 village

fixed: 1 or more

villages

fixed: many

villages and

cities

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Membership

Basis of

Relationship

kin kin-based clans

class and

residence

class and

residence

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Membership

Ethnicities

and

Languages

1 1

1 1 or more

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Government

Decision Making

(Leadership)

“egalitarian” “egalitarian” or

big-man

centralized,

hereditary

centralized

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Government

Bureaucracy none none

none, or 1 or

2 levels

many levels

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Government

Monopoly of

Force and

Information

nono

yes yes

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Government

Conflict

Resolution

informal informal

centralized laws, judges

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Government

Hierarchy of

Settlement

no no

no >>

paramount

village

capital

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Economy

Food

Production

no no >>> yes

yes >>>

intensive

intensive

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Economy

Division of

Labor

no no

no >>> yes yes

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Economy

Exchanges reciprocal

(given by both

sides)

reciprocal

(given by both

sides)

redistributive

(“tribute”)

redistributive

(“taxes”)

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Economy

Control of

Land

band clan

chief various

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Society

Stratified no no

yes, by kin yes, not by kin

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Society

Slavery no no

small-scale large-scale

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Society

Luxury Goods

for Elite

no no

yes yes

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Society

Public

Architecture

no no

no >>> yes yes

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Society

Indigenous

Literacy

no no

no often

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State

Types of Societies

Band Tribe

Chiefdom State