Society has transformed its design to structure itself in the most efficient possible way through many trials of success and failure. The separation of people into different levels of class has always erupted within the majority of governments of ancient civilizations mainly due to the various levels economic surplus that individuals collected. Various jobs therefore accumulated various statures of power among governments determined by this standard, and people could classify each other accordingly. The social and economic division arose from this very mentality within both the Indian caste system and the feudalistic Middle Ages of Europe, though each maintained characteristics unique to its own culture.
The Indian civilization adhered to the caste system without doubt due to its heavily ingrained roots in the history of the land, and its deep connection with the religion of the people. It originated from a definitively unclear source, though logically arose from the natural inequalities of economical stature as well as social influence amongst a diverse collection of cultures of people (Strayer 242). An unusual aspect of the origins of the caste system, as compared to the origins of more modern as well as ancient social structures, was the lack of race as a central component to development. Therefore, the Indian culture did not generally have racial judgments and did not base social prowess on uncontrollable attributes of individuals, initially at least.
[...] However, by India intertwining its system with its religion, it allowed for the survival of the system to far surpass that of feudalism. The main problem with feudalism, in the sense of permanent, is the ease for a member to gain influence within society, and the loose repercussion for those rebelling the system as compared to the Indian caste system. People in India were frightened into submission, and through fear comes control. Works Cited Ishwaran, K. Tradition and Economy in Village India. [...]
[...] The caste system was also broken up into sub-castes known as jati. The jati originated from an urban-based civilization that focused on individual occupations. It therefore provided greater depth for the distinctions of people outside of the home. This smaller classification facilitated the growth of localized societies while simultaneously countered the authority of a large Indian state. Feudalism emerged very similarly to the way the caste system emerged, although the direction it developed in characterized it in its own manner. [...]
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