The dream of equality has haunted humanity throughout its ages, to eliminate social discrimination in order to have a non-hierarchical society. Source: (New York Public Library)
Human life was organized in ancient and historical eras with the emergence of cities, and from here the world began to know civil life, and Egypt and Mesopotamia knew the form of the state around 3500 BC, and this was quickly followed by a similar development on the banks of the Yellow River (Hong Ho), in the Indus River, and in Peru. And Central America.
Some scholars linked the establishment of states in terms of the development of means of controlling the population, but this link does not enable us archaeologically to distinguish between military and police institutions in the archaeological remains of primitive societies, while another trend sought to take some characteristics as an indication of civilization, such as writing and crafts of an artistic nature, and some Aspects of culture that are produced by specialists.
Hierarchy
But Michael Hoffman believes that: (The most prominent characteristics that result from the complex process of transition, “civilization,” are the emergence of groups of people capable of concentrating a degree of power in their hands, that is, all the components of the state, starting with: temples, public ceremonies, wars, and official architecture. , trade, and even social and economic systems, where the elite appears in light of the embodiment of power and the spiral of centralization).
Therefore, the arts of civilization are not in fact the essence of the state “society”, but are merely a secondary phenomenon that differs from one place to another. While most researchers believe that states develop with the development of cities, cities are not always necessary for the emergence of states. The ancient empire was formed in the jungles of Cambodia. Essentially without relying on cities, although they had formal administrative centers, similarly the nomadic Mongols led by Genghis Khan created one of the largest empires the world has ever known - largely without relying on cities.
But states are ultimately based on a hierarchy of society, unlike a tribe or primitive society in which there is one level of authority above the food production of that society, that society in which the chief resides alongside his companions, artisans and servants.
In the state there are multiple, complex levels of authority that lead to the concentration of “control” power, which requires a greater increase in production and diversity in its tools, and the exchange of goods and spiritual values. All of this leads to a hierarchy in society, and to the emergence of social and economic inequality between fishermen, peasants, and merchants. And the clergy, representatives of authority and administration, and all of this indicates the hierarchy of authority and society.
jaundiced
But the dream of equality has haunted humanity since Plato, and we see that even before Plato, these dreamers tried to eliminate social discrimination to obtain a non-hierarchical society, but sociologists and anthropologists concluded that it is not possible for a complex society or a large group of people within an integrated society to They break away from hierarchical organizations. All contemporary industrial societies appear to be so complex that they cannot survive in the absence of a hierarchical structure or hierarchy of society.
There are some small communities of people who may succeed in forming egalitarian or non-hierarchical societies, but these societal groups cannot number more than a few hundred people, and this is done by not developing some form of hierarchy.
Societies that attempt to withstand the negative influences of divergent interests, religious figures, and conflicting priorities actually owe their survival to modern products and new systems that they acquired from the hierarchical societies from which they are fleeing.
Therefore, the call for their isolation, similar to the Takfir wal-Hijra group in Egypt during the 1970s, makes it impossible to produce cars, energy, and medical services. Without hierarchical organization, there will be no restrictions on people’s desires and individual behavior, and without these restrictions, the result will be cultural chaos.
In a society of absolute equality each worker in a power plant would simply decide what electricity should be produced, and to whom it should go, to the point that egalitarian societies would find it difficult to live without modern products and services.
So the existence of societies depends on the existence of hierarchies, but on the other hand, people view hierarchical organizations unjustly, as the decisions issued by them affect their lives in ways that make them feel dissatisfied. We all suffer from pollution, toxic waste, and encroachment on food-producing agricultural lands and turning them into buildings. Is returning to the tribal style the solution? Some people promote that organizing political action is the only practical solution, but this will only be activated by the hierarchy that led ancient societies to build the state. Here archaeologists set out to research the structure and development of ancient societies.
Temporary alliances
In many regions of the world, many older men, whether socially as heads of tribes or clans, or even elderly people with prestige/wisdom, succeeded in achieving leadership of their societies and reorganizing them. The leader was reshaping society according to the society and his vision of power, and this was accompanied by a redistribution of power. Wealth.
Tribal leaders used to establish alliances among themselves, but they were temporary unless some of them forcefully submitted to one of them. Here we find that historical experience reminds us that societies led by a leader found themselves moving to a new style far from the more complex organizations that they inherited: Napoleon Bonaparte, and Muhammad Ali in Egypt, so the existence of the state in its size, complexity and power, was an innovation, but it is always in dire need of modernization and change. To keep pace with societal changes and developments.
But something has changed the behavior of these societies, because of which the barriers of equality have been crossed, and the majority of society will agree to the principles of inequality, in order to gain access to natural resources, so the ruling elites are usually in a position to push to increase their control.
But what is new is the persuasive and justifiable discourse, at a time when they continue to search for new means to increase both revenues, services and goods, which makes them gain the support of their supporters in their societies, and outside their societies alike. Consider this - in our time - the success achieved by China. Which made one party control power for decades.
But this pursuit of economics makes the ruling classes throughout the ages provide the other oppressed classes with justification policies, or force them to submit, submit, seize, or sacrifice. We see sometimes slavery, sometimes forced labor, and sometimes falling under the spell of the media. Here, exploitation is the characteristic of power throughout the ages, so It is difficult to imagine any complex hierarchical system operating without exploitation.
Control and expansion
The strong barrier in the formation of any state is the values of equality. Here we recall from history how great statesmen and presidents were able to deal with these values. We find that in environments with great potential for food production, such as the Near East (Egypt and Iraq) and the Yellow River Basin in China, great Men soon became presidents, and presidents soon became kings.
In these regions, the chiefs easily tried to devise means to gain more and more control over the potential production of the people and the land. They also tried to expand by invading neighboring lands, to grow their wealth. They tried to deal with their subjects in every way by courting them at times, persuading them at other times, and sometimes coercing them. This is in order to work harder and more quickly.
But sociologists say that people in equal villages may produce more, but there will be no opportunity for pleasure. But the most difficult situation is that these nationals in countries work in arduous conditions every day just to survive, and at the same time we find others in the same country who are devoted to Their actions are for power and wealth; With the aim of living a higher standard of living.
Here the ruler seeks to control all the resources in his region, and he must do this with the utmost effectiveness by mobilizing the energies of all the people in the societies he controls, in other words by organizing his region as a state. Here the state organization emerges in the form of institutions, groups, and individuals exchanging interests. It highlights the dynamism of trade networks similar to the trade between Iraq, Sindh, Egypt, North Africa, and the Levant in ancient times.
We see the best equipped armies and the most effective systems in collecting information. These organizations were necessary to protect countries and societies from others. This is what Egypt succeeded in in most of the Pharaonic eras and Iraq during the Sumerian, Akkadian, and Assyrian eras.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.