SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND PRODUCTION.
Social organization refers to mode(s) of production existing in a particular place at a particular time. Basically it constitutes productive forces and relations of production.
Social organization and production means the way people interact and relate to each other in the process of production in the society. In the process of struggling against nature in order to get the basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing man comes into relations with another.
In Africa the dominant social organizations (modes of production) include communalism, slavery and feudalism
TYPES OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS AND PRODUCTION.
Communalism
Primitive communalism came into existence about two million years ago and was the first socio-economic mode of production in which evolution of the society started. It covered the period of stone and iron ages.
In the beginning, people were powerless before their environment.
Communalism was the first mode of production whereby the major means of production were owned by the society.
Characteristics (Features) of Communalism
The instruments of labour were very crude and underdeveloped.
Low level production.
The major means of production were owned communally.
There was no exploitation of man by man.
There were no classes.
All the able- bodied people worked and produced.
Man lived by hunting and gathering.
The products of labour were fairly and equally distributed.
Slavery
This was the second mode of production in human society and the first exploitative mode of production.
The availability of surplus created two classes, the poor and the rich with the rich enslaving the poor. Examples the Ganda, Haya, Chagga, Kerewe, Sambaa and Coastal societies.
The use of slaves.
The slaves were used in the following ways:-
To build cities and large structures, such as the Egyptian pyramids.
To construct dams and irrigation schemes in Egypt.
Slaves mined silver, gold and iron.
To cultivate land.
Features of Slavery.
Major means of production were owned by slave masters (private ownership of the means of production).
There were classes of the slaves and slave masters.
Improvement of instruments of labour.
There was surplus of production.
Existence of strong political institutions.
Feudalism
This was the second exploitative mode of production. There were two classes in the society, the haves (landlords) and the have nots such as the serfs and peasants. The haves owned lands or cattle, whereby the peasants were exploited by the landlords through payment of rents.
Characteristics of Feudalism.
Feudal lords owned major means of production.
The instruments of labour were more improved.
Their was exploitation of man by man.
The division of labour was very wide.
There was surplus production.
Existence of strong political institutions.
There were three types of rents:-
Labour rent, is the kind of rent whereby the peasants and serfs had to work (to render services) for their masters (feudal lords).
Rent in kind, this was the type of rent whereby the peasants or serfs had to pay an agreed amount of their produce.
Money rent, this was the type of rent in which a peasant or serf had to pay an agreed sum of money to his master.
Feudalism Among African Societies.
The feudal mode of production in African societies existed in different forms.
The feudal relation in Karagwe and Buhaya was known as Nyarubanja.
In Buganda, it was known as Mvunjo and Busulo.
Ubugabire system developed between the Tutsi and Hutu in Rwanda, Burundi and Buha.
Among the Nyamwezi, Sukuma and the Gogo feudalism was known as Ntemiship.
Along the Coast of East Africa the type of feudalism was known as Umwinyi.
Power Sharing under Feudalism
Power sharing is a ruling system in which two or more communities or governments rule the same territory and people.
During feudal mode of production, this system was practiced so as to decentralize the power of kings or landlords. The Kings or landlords shared some of the responsibilities with other classes such as Chiefs.
Merits of power sharing during African Feudalism
It brought equality (though minimal) among the respective communities.
It maintained and strengthened the supremacy of kingdoms due to the aid of principles of centralization.
It led to the participation of the leaders and community members at large.
It brought the sharing of cultural practices as well as their preservation. For example in order to maintain unity, the Kabaka in Buganda kingdom had to marry from each clan.
Demerits of power sharing during the African Feudalism
The powers and privileges rested on a small group of people (minority), that is, it brought monopolization of power by few.
It led to the emergence of dictators among the leaders due to absolutism.
It favoured nepotism among the people as it belonged to the ruling class and their families, clan or tribe.
It caused dissatisfaction especially among those who were not privileged by the system.
It laid foundation for political and social instability in some countries particularly in Uganda.
