Any society is a class or class structure. These are two ideal models that are currently very difficult to intertwine. At the same time, it is generally accepted that in the West the class structure prevails, and in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates - the estate. One way or another, there are elements of the social division of society everywhere, and it is a pyramid, in the lower layer of which there are social lower classes, and the top is crowned with privileged upper layers. Most likely, the reason for this reality lies in the history of the formation of society and the desire of people of a certain status to maintain relations only with their own kind. So, what is the estate, and what social groups was it represented in Russia?
Estate Definition
Some researchers reasonably believe that in Russia before the reign of Peter I, the estate had the concept of “meeting, gathering” and the word was not used to describe any group in the social hierarchy. But by the end of the 18th century, the term “estate” was acquiring a new one, and they began to identify it with social communities that had certain rights and obligations fixed at the legislative level.
The estate society of any era is always characterized by a hierarchy, expressed in the inequality of position and privilege: the dominant category of people, semi-privileged and taxable. In other words, each individual was strictly dependent on his estate. It was she who determined the code of conduct, the environment of the person, his occupation, and sometimes the hairstyle and clothes that were allowed to be worn. Often, the norms, rules, and requirements presented were such that the estate seemed like a hopeless prison, from which it was practically impossible to escape.
Estates of ancient civilizations
A significant part of its history, humanity has lived in an estate system, which was typical for all countries of antiquity. For example, the society of Ancient China was distinguished by a rather complex structure. It included the following estates: representatives of the imperial family and the aristocracy, numerous bureaucracy (it was an open estate, and townspeople and peasants could fall into it), scientists, farmers. Interestingly, unlike other states, slavery in ancient China was not developed.
In one of the most ancient civilizations - Egypt, history also defines several classes. The most important in importance were the nobles (close to Pharaoh), then the priests, royal people, farmers and artisans, slaves. There was another special group of people - scribes, they spoke on behalf of the pharaoh.
Among the inhabitants of ancient Rome, the greatest state of antiquity, society was represented by such classes as: Nobility, patricians (privileged to know), horsemen, plebeians (free population), peasants and artisans, powerless slaves. It was often found that the rights and obligations of certain classes were inseparable. For example, for a citizen of Athens or Rome, military service was both a right and a duty.
The estate structure of medieval society
Modern society has many faces, and does not have clear distinctions between the estates, but this has not always been so. In medieval Western society, the estate structure was able to acquire clear contours only by the 11th century. As a result, three main classes stood out: the clergy, chivalry, and the townspeople. With the peasantry, the situation was determined not so unambiguously. Free peasants were assigned to the third estate, and the dependent remained outside the estates and without any rights.
Initially, the estates were open, for example, the younger sons of knightly families could go to the clergy or the estate of chivalry was replenished by free peasants. But by the 15th century, estates became more and more closed and acquired a complex hierarchical structure. So, for example, in cities there were three levels of citizenship and only the citizens of the first level had the full rights and privileges, and they also held high posts.
Estates in Russia
The process of formation of social groups in the Russian state was going on gradually and was established only by 1649 in the Council Code. It should be noted that Russian society was distinguished by its variability and mobility, it was divided and changed several times. Thus, the hierarchy of the main estates in the 17th century was as follows: feudal lords (nobles and nobles), clergy, urban and urban populations (merchants, artisans), peasants.
The civil war at the turn of the XVI and XVII centuries gave rise to an era of strong social upheaval. These were the consequences of increased class inequalities when the final enslavement of the peasants took place. The difference between the prosperous elite and the plight of the lower classes resulted in a series of popular uprisings.
Birthright
The position of certain civic groups in the state hierarchy, as well as their rights, privileges and duties, were approved by laws and supported by religious dogma. The higher the estate was on the social ladder, the greater its rights. At the same time, many levels, ranks, and layers were determined within each class. Belonging to one or another class was automatically determined by the right of birth. Thus, the barriers established between civic groups were quite strict.
The upper classes often possessed their social symbols and signs. It could be titles, ranks, flags, coats of arms, uniforms, orders. The lower classes also had their own symbolism. And usually there were no questions about which estate a person belongs to, it was obvious.
Russian Empire XIX century
By the 19th century, most European countries had abandoned a clear division of social groups; the borders had become more vague. In this regard, Russia lagged significantly behind the developed powers, its rigid estate traditions continued to exist for some time. Even the abolition of serfdom did not weaken the growing inter-divisive contradictions, although it did slightly improve the position of the peasants. Suppressed by exorbitant payments, it was never able to rise out of need. The privileged classes in Russia for a long time held dominant positions in society.
What is the difference between class and class
At first glance, the meaning of the terms “class” and “estate” is very similar: both definitions mean a social group of people who are united by some attribute. But this is the difference. In the class division of society, people are divided by occupation and income level, but before the law they will all be equal. In a class society, people are divided according to the level of rights and privileges available to them and have far from equal positions before the law.
Moving between classes is allowed: a person from a farming family can easily become a doctor or lawyer. The borders of the estates are such that moving between them is a significant rarity; there is no way for a simple peasant to become a nobleman. It is believed that the class division of society is a kind of evolution of the estates, which could not be avoided with the general development of the political and legal systems of the state, the development of production and monetary relations.
Interesting Facts
In medieval European society, the clergy had all the leading positions, this was due to the fact that for a person of that era, relations with God were the most important.
The standard of living of citizens and peasants in Russia before the introduction of serfdom was much better than in the states of Western and Southern Europe. The wardrobe of peasants and slaves could boast shirts decorated with pearls and gold. Consequently, the rights and privileges were such that the estate could well flourish.
When vaccinations against smallpox appeared in Europe, Catherine II invited an English doctor to vaccinate herself first, thereby setting an example for her. The donor was a peasant boy Alexander Markov, who was subsequently promoted to the noble rank.
In Spain, the royal family and the upper classes kept their ancestry from the Visigoths. Unlike swarthy commoners, who mixed with the Moors, they had very pale skin with strongly prominent veins. Hence the expression “blue blood”.