Neighborhood community: one of the original forms of human social organization. Evolution of the East Slavic community Tribal and neighboring territorial community
neighborhood community was a more complex formation than the tribal community in the primitive social organization.
We can say that the neighborhood community is a transitional stage between a tribal society and a class society. How did the neighborhood community come about?
Reasons for the formation
There were several prerequisites for the emergence of a new social formation:
- Primitive tribes grew over time, and the blood connection between their constituent clans and individual members ceased to be realized;
- The transition from hunting and gathering to pastoralism and agriculture accelerated the division of land between parts of large tribes;
- The improvement of labor tools, in particular, the appearance of metal means of cultivating the land, made it possible for individual cultivation of a plot, as opposed to group cultivation.
Thus, the transition from the tribal system to the neighboring one was an objective consequence of human development.
Was it possible to "keep" the disintegrating community?
In many philosophical systems, the separation of mankind is called one of the main social vices. In different eras, "world religions" and cultural trends tried to find a means of uniting large masses of people separated by national, religious, property and other differences. But was it possible to preserve the primitive community?
The tribal community turned into a neighboring one slowly and gradually. Even with the advent of cattle breeding and primitive agriculture, the tribes continued to live and work together: arable land and pastures were considered common property, which was processed jointly, the crop was distributed equally among the members of the community.
Inequality between people manifested biological. For example, when migrating to other places, the weakest members of the tribe remained in the old territory or did not survive at all, and when they moved, newcomers who were not relatives to the rest of the tribe joined him. Someone died on a hunt or in a war; someone could work more than the average member of the community.
Owners of increased physical and mental strength, as well as more "tricked out" tools, were not required to share the harvest and booty obtained with the help of these advantages. In a later era, living space was distributed as follows: hunting grounds remained public property, however, each clan or family owned the cultivated plots separately.
COMMUNITY- a supra-family association of people, a self-governing economic and social collective; characteristic of the pre-industrial stage of development of human society.
The most ancient type of community was a consanguineous community that had developed among primitive peoples.
consanguineous community for a long time existed among the Germans, Iranians, Finno-Ugrians and some other peoples. Archaeologists determine its presence by the existence of "large houses", up to 300 sq.m. In each of these houses lived one patronymic (pater - "father"; a group of close relatives on the paternal side). Blood ties among these peoples continued to play an important role in the transition to the neighboring community. All members of the patronymy erected themselves to a well-remembered ancestor. Sometimes the names of ancestors were remembered for ten or twelve generations. Foreigners were accepted into such a community only on the "rights" of a slave, since he did not descend from this ancestor. In the tribe, consisting of patronymic communities, there was a strict hierarchy of clans - from the ruling to the completely ignoble. A native of an humble family could not become the head of a tribe.
Over time, the consanguineous community turned into a neighboring (territorial) one. Among the agricultural tribes, the territorial community displaces the consanguineous community earlier than among the pastoral ones. The farmer had more opportunities to feed himself, his wife and children without the constant help of the family.
Among the Slavs, a neighborhood community arose very early. This is evidenced by the finds by archaeologists of "small houses", in which only one family could live. Foreigners quite easily joined the Slavic community. Slaves captured in wars eventually had the opportunity to either leave or become full members of the community. The community elected elders. The land belonged to the community, not to an individual family. A characteristic feature of the Slavic community was the redistribution of land.
Slavic cities served as centers of tribes and a place of refuge for communal peasants from external danger. Residents of the city and rural areas were divided into tens, hundreds, thousands. Perhaps there was also a council of elders - "the elders of the city", who led the people's assembly - veche.
The development of a neighboring or peasant community among the Slavs is associated with the gradual disintegration of tribal relations and the formation of the Old Russian state.
The nature and essence of the ancient Russian community, which was called the rope, is still insufficiently studied. Probably, at an early stage, it united several nearby settlements, each of which was inhabited by several (sometimes several dozen) families. Pastures, meadow and forest lands, places of hunting and fishing, as well as livestock were in communal ownership. The community ensured the stability of relations within a tribe or an alliance of tribes. Moreover, for a long time, the communal organization hampered the processes of property stratification and the separation of more prosperous families from the free community members.
Free community members ("people", in the terminology of Russian Pravda) remained the main population of Rus' in the first centuries after the formation of the Old Russian state. As the community members were taxed with princely tribute (later - taxes), the community lost ownership rights to the land, which led to the formation and expansion of patrimonial land ownership and the gradual enslavement of the peasantry.
Throughout the history of the Old Russian state and Muscovite Rus', up to the middle. 17th century the community, to a certain extent, guaranteed the peasants who were part of it a minimum of rights in their relations with landowners and state power in exchange for the fulfillment by the community members of a certain amount of duties. Relations within the community were regulated by a mutual guarantee, which was recorded in the Russkaya Pravda and retained its significance for several centuries. Zemstvo reform ser. 16th century increased the role of community self-government, especially in areas with a predominance of the Black Sosh population. However, with the legalization of serfdom, the community increasingly fell under the control of state bodies.
Nevertheless, the community retained an important role in organizing economic and land relations in the countryside, in particular, in determining the principles for the use of communal lands - forests, rivers, meadows, etc., in the periodic redistribution of land owned by peasant farms, in the distribution between them taxes and taxes. The community retained these functions to one degree or another until the beginning. 20th century
It is very difficult to date it because of the uneven development of primitive societies in different regions of the Earth. In the most developed regions, this stage began in the 8th-3rd millennium BC. e., and ended (in Egypt and Mesopotamia) in the 4th millennium BC. e. with the birth of the first states.
The tribal system was gradually replaced by a new form of organization of society - a neighboring, or rural, territorial community, combining individual and communal land tenure. The neighboring community was made up of separate families, each of which had the right to a share of communal property and cultivated its own part of the arable land. Forests, rivers, lakes and pastures remained communal property. All together, the community members raised the virgin soil, cleared the forest, paved the way. Most scientists believe that the rural territorial community is a universal form of organization and is attested among all peoples who passed from the primitive system to civilization.
An important achievement of the era of the neighboring community was the discovery of metals. In the 4th-3rd millennium BC. e. stone tools began to be replaced by copper ones, then bronze ones, and from the end of the 2nd millennium BC. e. - the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. e. - iron. People gradually switched to the widespread use of metals, which significantly increased labor productivity and made it possible to develop new lands more efficiently.
In the era of the neighborhood community, significant changes took place in all spheres of society. Primitive tribes continued to improve agriculture and cattle breeding, pottery, weaving and other types of production.
The development of agriculture and cattle breeding, the emergence of crafts, the construction of large settlements indicate that man began to actively transform nature, create an artificial environment for his habitat.
The development of complex types of production - metallurgy, blacksmithing and pottery, weaving, etc. - required special knowledge and skills: blacksmiths, potters, weavers and other craftsmen began to appear in society. Between the masters and their fellow tribesmen, as well as between different tribes, the exchange of goods developed.
The development of metallurgy, blacksmithing, arable farming, specialized cattle breeding led to an increase in the role of male labor. Instead of the former equality of men and women, the power of men was established. In many societies, his power over a woman has acquired a harsh and even cruel character.
The growth of labor productivity led to the development of individual forms of activity: now one person (or one family) could do what several people (or a whole family) used to do. The individual family became the basic economic unit.
As a result of the growth of labor productivity, surpluses of products began to form, which gradually became the property of people. Thus, in primitive societies, an important factor appeared that contributed to the stratification of the community, and later to the formation of the state.
In the life of all the tribes of the era of the neighboring community, a large place was occupied by war - another source of enrichment. Boys were brought up primarily as warriors and trained in the use of weapons from early childhood. Family settlements were fortified with walls and ditches. Weapons have become more diverse.
The management of society in the era of the neighborhood community also changed. Meetings were formally preserved in the tribes, but they changed their character and turned into a meeting of male warriors: women were not allowed in the meetings. The leaders and elders, relying on the support of the noble and god-that part of the tribe, began to actually dictate their will to the whole society. Primitive democracy and equality of people were replaced by the power of tribal nobility. In relation to those fellow tribesmen who tried to oppose the establishment of the power of the leaders, they could use force.
The organization of the life of society also became more complex, people appeared - officials who controlled other people.material from the site
In the era of the neighborhood community, the social and property stratification of the primitive community occurs. Rich and prosperous families appear, among relatives and fellow tribesmen, nobility stands out from among the leaders, elders, priests and the most experienced and authoritative warriors who began to use the labor of impoverished members of the community. More warlike and populous tribes exacted tribute from their weak neighbors, threatening them with war and cruel reprisals. During military campaigns, captives were captured, who became slaves, who made up the most disenfranchised stratum of society.
Tribal unions
Separate tribes, fearing attacks from outside, united in powerful tribal unions headed by an authoritative leader. Such unions of tribes later served as a prototype of the future statehood. Often warlike unions of tribes organized military campaigns, smashed other tribes, seized rich booty, making robbery their constant trade. In the 7th-6th millennium BC. e. in the Middle East, the first proto-cities appear - Chatal-Guyuk, Jericho, Jarmo. These were well-fortified, walled settlements of farmers.
For a long time they kept their patriarchal way of life. The people were divided into tribes, a separate tribe consisted of clans. A clan was a number of families united by family ties, owning common property and managed by one person - a foreman. Therefore, in the Slavic tribes, the concept of "senior" means not only "old", but also "wise", "respected". The tribal foreman - a middle-aged or advanced man - had great power in the family. To make more global decisions, for example, defense against an external enemy, the foremen gathered in the veche and developed a common strategy.
The collapse of the tribal community
Starting from the 7th century, the tribes began to settle, while occupying vast territories. The following factors contributed to this process:
The emergence of private ownership of agricultural implements and products of labor activity;
Ownership of own plots of fertile land.
The connection of clans was lost, the patriarchal tribal community was being replaced by a new form of social structure - the neighborhood community. Now people are connected not by common ancestors, but by the contiguity of the occupied territories and the same methods of farming.
The main differences between the neighboring community and the tribal
The reason for the weakening of family ties was the gradual estrangement of kindred families from each other. The main differences of the new social structure were as follows:
In the tribal community, everything was common - mining, harvest, tools. The neighboring community introduced the concept of private property along with public property;
The neighboring community connects people with cultivated lands, the tribal community - by kinship;
In the tribal community, the elder was the elder, while in the neighboring community, the decisions were made by the owner of each house - the householder.
Neighborhood lifestyle
Regardless of the name of the ancient Russian neighborhood community in each individual case, they all had many similar administrative and economic features. Each individual family acquired its own dwelling, had its own arable land and mowing, separately fished and went hunting.
Each family owned meadows and arable land, dwellings, domestic animals, and tools. Forests, rivers were common, and lands belonging to the entire community were also preserved.
Gradually, the power of the elders was lost, but the importance of small farms increased. If necessary, people did not go to distant relatives for help. Homeowners from all over the area came together and decided important issues at the meeting. Global interest forced to choose the one responsible for solving the problem - an elected elder.
Scholars have not come to a consensus on the name of the Old Russian neighborhood community. Most likely, in different lands it was called differently. Two names of the Slavic neighboring community have survived to our times - zadruga and verv.
The stratification of society
The neighboring community among the Eastern Slavs gave rise to the formation of social classes. The stratification into rich and poor begins, the allocation of the ruling elite, which strengthened its power through spoils of war, trade, exploitation of poorer neighbors (farm labor, and later slavery).
From the wealthiest and most influential householders, the nobility begins to form - a deliberate child, which consisted of such representatives of the neighboring community:
Elders - represented the administrative authority;
Leaders (princes) - exercised full control over the material and human resources of the community during wartime;
Magi - spiritual power, which was based on the observance of communal rituals and on the worship of pagan spirits and gods.
The most important issues were still decided at the meeting of the elders, but gradually the right to make decisions passed to the leaders. The princes in the neighboring community relied on their squad, which over time acquired the features of a professional military detachment.
The prototype of statehood
Tribal nobility, successful merchants and the wealthiest community members became the nobility, the ruling class. Land has become a value worth fighting for. In the early neighborhood community, the weaker landowners were driven from the right plots of land. During the period of the emergence of statehood, the peasants remained on the land, but on the condition that they would pay taxes. Wealthy landowners exploited their poorer neighbors and used slave labor. Patriarchal slavery arose at the expense of prisoners captured in military raids. A ransom was demanded for captives from noble families, the poor fell into slavery. Later, ruined peasants became slaves of wealthy landowners.
The change in the form of social structure led to the enlargement and consolidation of neighboring communities. Tribes and tribal unions were formed. The centers of the unions were cities - well-fortified settlements. At the dawn of the emergence of the state system, the Eastern Slavs had two major political centers - Novgorod and Kyiv.
First form public organization people in the era of the primitive system was This is an association of blood relatives who lived in the same territory and all together were engaged in the conduct of a common economy. It was characterized by solidarity and unity of all its representatives. People worked for the common good, and property was also collective. But in parallel with the process of division of labor and the separation of agriculture from cattle breeding, it appeared that the tribal community was divided into families. Collective property began to be redistributed between families of parts. This led to the appearance of what accelerated the decomposition of the tribal and the folding of the neighboring community, in which family ties ceased to be the main one.
A neighborhood community (also called rural, territorial or peasant) is a settlement of people who are not connected by blood ties, but they occupy a certain limited area that is cultivated collectively. Each family included in the community has the right to a part of the community property.
People no longer worked together. Each family had its own plot of land, arable land, tools, and cattle. However, lands (forests, pastures, rivers, lakes, etc.) were still communal property.
The neighboring community has become an organization included in society as a subordinate element that performs only part of the social functions: the accumulation of production experience, the regulation of land ownership, the organization of self-government, the preservation of traditions, worship, etc. People cease to be generic beings for whom belonging to a community had a comprehensive meaning; they become free.
Depending on the characteristics of the combination of private and collective principles, Asian, ancient and German neighborhood communities are distinguished.
