BANDS
Small, nomadic groups connected by family ties |
politically independent |
SOCIAL STRUCTURE |
associations of families allied by kinship, marriage, descent, friendship, and common interest |
LEADERSHIP AND DECISION MAKING |
Horizontal status and power |
Informal leaders emerge based on skills, knowledge, and community consensus |
Temporary political power with no significant authority |
Decisions made by community consensus |
POLITICAL GOALS |
ensure harmony and resolve conflicts within the band |
Quarrels often arise over food, relationships, or space |
No. of people increases, potential for conflicts also rises |
Conflicts may lead to the formation of new bands |
POLITICAL SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS |
No central leadership position with authority |
Difficulty in creating binding treaties with Native American societies due to the diffused political system |
SURVIVAL OF BRAND-LEVEL SOCIETIES |
No traditional band-level societies exist today |
Lasted until the late 19th century |
TRIBES
More complex than bands |
increased population size and a shift in subsistence patterns |
Kinship is based on more than family |
INTEGRATIVE MECHANISMS |
Pantribal associations or sodalities - new integrative mechanisms |
bringing together individuals from different families |
Serve to create order and unity within the tribe |
LEADERSHIP AND POLITICAL POWER |
Village headmen exist |
Political power comes from senior positions within kin groups and the ability to persuade or criticize |
leaders known as "big men" accumulate wealth to enhance status and influence, engaging in ritualized economic redistribution. |
*EGALITARIANISM AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY |
essentially egalitarian, with no family or residential group being politically or economically superior. |
Families, including headmen's families, are self-sufficient in basic necessities |
IMPACT OF CONTACT WITH LARGER SOCIETIES |
Tribal societies face consequences when in contact with larger-scale societies |
No tribes have maintained their traditional political systems unaltered by outside influences |
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CHIEFDOMS
mostly classless societies |
Distinguished by a permanent, full-time leader known as a chief with real authority |
LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE |
Chiefs |
BASIS OF STATUS |
Seniority in kin groups is the primary basis |
Chiefs are at the top of the kinship hierarchy, and others are ranked based on genealogical distance from the chief |
ECONOMIC REDISTRIBUTION AND STANDARD OF LIVING |
Chiefs and their families often have a higher standard of living |
perform society-wide economic redistribution (similar to tax) by siphoning off surplus agricultural products and redistributing them, holding back some for the chief's lifestyle |
contributes to economic advantages, social stability, and security in diverse environmental zones |
POPULATION SIZE AND DISPUTES |
Larger population leads to less commonality among people |
Chief serves as an arbitrator and judge in disputes that cannot be settled informally based on kinship and friendship |
ADVANTAGES IN WARFARE |
Chiefdoms are more effective in warfare compared to bands and tribes |
Larger populations allow assembly of larger military forces |
Centralized direction by the chief enables more decisive action |
ESSENTIAL ROLE OF CHIEFS |
Once established, the position of the chief becomes essential to the functioning of society |
Chiefdoms cannot revert to tribal levels unless their population significantly decreases |
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STATES
State-level political systems originated from chiefdoms in societies with large-scale intensive agriculture |
Evolved into centralized, authoritarian kingdoms with distinct classes based on wealth, power, and prestige |
DEVELOPMENT OF STATES |
Around 5,500 years ago, early kingdoms in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia developed state-level political integration |
emerged in the Indian subcontinent and China shortly thereafter |
By 4,500 years ago, Mesoamerica and the central Andean mountain region of western South America also saw the development of states |
POLITICAL STRUCTURE |
Pyramid of authority with a hereditary elite class at the top, led by a king and royal family |
Commoners, primarily food-producing farmers, constituted the majority at the bottom |
WARFARE AND CONQUEST |
Competition among independent kingdoms |
Victorious kingdoms annexed weaker ones |
URBAN CENTERS |
Cities housed major temples of state religions |
HIERARCHY AND ROLES |
SLAVERY |
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