At present, the historical path traveled by mankind is divided into the following sections: the primitive era, the history of the Ancient World, the Middle Ages, New, and Recent times. It is worth noting that today among scientists who study the stages of human development, there is no consensus on periodization. Therefore, there are several special periodizations that partially reflect the nature of the disciplines, and the general, i.e. historical.
Of the special periodizations, the greatest significance for science is archeological, which is based on the differences in the tools.
The stages of development of mankind of the primitive era are determined in more than 1.5 million years. The basis for its study was the remains of ancient tools, cave paintings and burials that were discovered during archaeological excavations. Anthropology is a science that is engaged in restoring the appearance of primitive man. In this time period, the emergence of man, he ends with the emergence of statehood.
During this period, the following stages of human development are distinguished: anthropogenesis (evolution, which ended about 40 thousand years ago and led to the emergence of a reasonable human species) and sociogenesis (the formation of social forms of life).
The history of the Ancient World begins its reckoning in the period of the first states. The periods of human development, expressed in this era, are the most mysterious. Ancient civilizations left monuments and architectural ensembles, samples of monumental art and painting, which have survived to this day. This era dates back to the 4th-3rd millennium BC. At this time, there was a split in society between the ruled and the ruled, the poor and the haves, slavery appeared. The slave system reached its zenith in antiquity, when the rise of the civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome took place.
Russian and Western science dates back to the beginning of the Middle Ages, the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, which occurred at the end of the fifth century. At the same time, in the encyclopedia “History of Mankind” published by UNESCO, the beginning of this stage is considered the moment the emergence of Islam, which appeared already in the seventh century.
The stages of human development in the Middle Ages are divided into three time periods: early (5th century - mid 11th century), high (mid 11th century - end of the 14th century), later (14-16 centuries).
In some sources, the civilizations of the Ancient World and the Middle Ages are not distinguished within the framework of the theoretical position on “stages of growth” and are considered as a
traditional society based on
subsistence / semi-natural economy.In the New Age period, the formation of industrial and capitalist civilization took place. The stages of human development at this stage are divided into several segments.
First. It originates when revolutions take place in the world aimed at overthrowing the estate system. The first of them occurred in England in 1640 - 1660.
The second period came after the French Revolution (1789-1794). At this time, there was a rapid growth of colonial empires, the division of labor at the international level.
The third period begins at the end of the 19th century and is characterized by the rapid development of industrial civilization, which occurs due to the development of new territories.
Recent history and its periodization is currently controversial. However, in its framework, the following stages of human development are distinguished. The table available in school textbooks shows that this era consists of two main periods. The first began at the end of the 19th century and affects the entire first half of the 20th century - an early modern time.
The great crisis, sovereign rivalry, the destruction of the colonial systems of European states, the conditions of the Cold War. Qualitative changes occurred only in the second half of the 20th century, when the nature of work changed with the development of industrial robots and the spread of computers. Changes also affected the international sphere, when cooperation took the place of rivalry.