The Collapse of Society

State level societies are a type of “class society [that] are often rigidly stratified into social levels, [where] the ruling class controls the populace not by consensus but by coercion and force” (Feder, 344 - 45). This society type is a form of government, structured with rules and regulations, including punishments for disobedience. There are many causes for a society to gradually transition into becoming a state level or more stratified society. Those of which will be briefly discussed throughout this short essay.

Two major causes that often intertwine that are imperative for a society to become a state leveled society are agriculture and specialization. As a societies population density increased, and specializations among the populace started to become more evident, there was great need for an increase in agricultural production. With the creation of monumental works, came the necessity of specializations among the population. However, with specializations abundant, and populations growing and encouraged to continue to grow to support the demands of a new state society, the lack of food could have been devastating to a society built on the foundations of stratification, specializations, and monumental works of mass importance. In a civilization based on a state society, agriculture would have been heavily relied upon. There was a great need for food production, and in a state society there were always a select few to be involved in the sole production of food. This allowed for state level civilizations that rely on mass agricultural production “in which the few [were] able to feed the many… [and in which] their production of a food surplus that [is] distributed [among the populace allows] for other members of so...

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...hy a complex society could potentially collapse. And aside from the two mentioned possibilities in the paragraphs above, Joseph Tainter briefly mentions others such as inefficient response to circumstances, other complex societies, intruders, mismanagement, and economic explanations. Whatever the case may be the cause may be different within each complex societal collapse, or could even be due to multiple causes as well. In all, the possibilities seem endless, and archaeologists will likely continue to research and uncover information pertaining to the collapse of complex societies that societies around today should understand and learn from so that in the future they can continue to stand.

Work Cited

Feder, Kenneth L. "An Explosion of Complexity." The Past In Perspective: An Introduction To Human Prehistory. 6th ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. 340-83. Print.