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SOCIAL CHANGE AND SOCIAL ORDER IN RURAL AND URBAN SOCIETY 23 quickly, even suddenly, is sometimes previous chapter.) For example, the called ‘revolutionary change’. It is used emergence of paper money as mainly in the political context, when currency marked a major change in the power structure of society changes the organisation of financial markets very rapidly through the overthrow of and transactions. Until this change a former ruling class or group by its came about, most forms of currency challengers. Examples include the involved precious metals like gold and French revolution (1789-93) and the silver. The value of the coin was Soviet or Russian revolution of 1917. directly linked to the value of the gold But the term has also been used more or silver it contained. By contrast, the generally to refer to sharp, sudden and value of a paper currency note has no total transformations of other kinds as relationship to the value of the paper well, such as in the phrase ‘industrial it is printed on, or the cost of its revolution’ or ‘telecommunications printing. The idea behind paper revolution’, and so on. money was that a medium or means for facilitating the exchange of goods Activity 2 and services need not itself be Refer to the discussions about the intrinsically valuable. As long as it French Revolution and the Industrial represents values convincingly — i.e., Revolution which you have come as long as it inspires trust — almost across before in your textbooks. anything can function as money. This What were the major kinds of change idea was the foundation for the credit that each brought about? Would market and helped change the these changes qualify to be called structure of banking and finance. ‘social change’? Were these changes These changes in turn produced fast enough and far reaching enough to qualify as ‘revolutionary change’? further changes in the organisation of What other kinds of social change economic life. have you come across in your books Changes in values and beliefs can which might not qualify as also lead to social change. For revolutionary change? Why would example, changes in the ideas and they not qualify? beliefs about children and childhood have brought about very important Types of change that are identified kinds of social change, there was a by their nature or impact include time when children were simply structural change and changes in considered small adults — there was ideas, values and beliefs. Structural no special concept of childhood as change refers to transformations in such, with its associated notions of the structure of society, to its what was right or wrong for children institutions or the rules by which to do. As late as the 19th century for these institutions are run. (Recall the example, it was considered good and discussion of social structure from the proper that children start to work as Reprint 2026-27