The Differences and Similarities of Modern and Traditional British Societies..Docx Uploaded Successfully

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Stephen Robinson. A Comparison Of Modern And Traditional British Societies. Many changes have taken place in British society since the 18th century. One of the key changes was the majority of the population moving from being mainly a rural, to an urban society, at the same time the majority of the workforce moved away from agriculture to more industrialized and technical occupations. Culture, norms, values and social inequality were greatly altered. These changes have been so extensive that they can be classified as two distinctly different societies, namely, Modern British society and Traditional British society. Traditional British society was “a more rural-agricultural society where there was little social change, a strong sense of community and religion dominated people`s view of the world “ (Webb et al.2008 p.9.) The class stratification comprised of a ruling elite, middle class and the working class, Status was mainly ascribed and there was no social mobility for the working class. Families were considered to be a multi-functional institution consisting of an extended kinship. Because of the extended Kinship, family sometimes had a political function. Work was carried out through the home which gave it an economical function and as it socialised children and gave them job training it could also be said to have had an educational function, however not to the same level as the higher classes, who received a full home education by nannies and tutors. Medical care was still very primitive and infant mortality was high. There was no welfare system, hunger and depravation were prevalent. Britain was not democratic, with less than one in eight Britain`s allowed to vote,(www.nationalarchives,gov.uk.29.10.2012.) those excluded were the working class, some of the middle class, woman, other ethnic groups and even certain religions. Civil liberties were suppressed by
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