What are The Similarities and Differences Between The Feudal Social Structure and The Hindu Caste System?
Feudalism and the caste system have some similarities and some differences. Feudalism is the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which the nobility held lands from the crown in exchange for military service, and vassals were in turn tenants of the nobles, while the peasants were obliged to live on their lord's land and give him homage, labor, and a share of the produce, notionally exchange for military protection.It flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries. There were 4 levels of society. The king, the noble Lords, the knights and the peasants.The king needed to share land to lessen their responsibility. That is when feudalism was established. The peasants were the poorest. They were given some land from the knights ,in exchange to crop and farm so they can feed the whole kingdom. The knights in exchange for protection were given some land from the noble lords. The king gave the lords some land in exchange for loyalty. Europe in the middle ages was weak and under threat from foreign invasion. The feudalism system helped secure Europe.
The caste system is a form of social stratification characterized by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a lifestyle which often includes an occupation, status in a hierarchy, customary social interaction, and exclusion. It is a complex system of boundaries and stratification within Hindu society. Laws of many are ancient text in which caste systems were formed. The brahmin caste was top in the system, they were the priestly class of Hindu society. The Kshatriya caste was the king or ruler in the Hindu society. They were known as the nobles and warriors. The vaishya caste engaged in money-making activities and were business owners. The shudra was the lowest caste. They were laborers or servants. The untouchables were ostracised from traditional Indian society. They were the outcast and were a product of a mixed marriage between castes, they held a job that was forbidden.
The caste and the feudal system were similar in some ways. They both had the same amount of classes. They both are social hierarchies, which means people were based in order of importance. A person's class determined their occupation and the way they were treated.
The caste and the feudal system were different in some ways because they had different religions. The caste religion was Hinduism and the feudal system was roman catholic. The highest class for the feudal system was the king,but in the caste , it was the brahmins although the king was part of the second tier. The feudal system existed during the middle ages , unlike the caste is still being followed in India.
I believe that in today's society we are still oppressed by poverty. We are still put in categories depending on our fortunes, wealth, education, and profession. Being discriminated based on economic status can cause a cyclical pattern between discrimination and poverty.
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Caste System vs Feudal System. (2019, Feb 15).
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