Swami Vivekananda’s theory of social change

Vivekananda desired a thorough modernization of India and the removal of poverty and degradation of the people. He was against aristocracy and feudalism. He demanded for removing the differences between the rich and the poor. With this end, he sought to revive the toiling masses of the country. He opined that the Shudras or the working people would take up the reins of the country in future. The socialist and anarchist movements in the west showed this path. Vivekananda drew up his own theory of social change to prove this.

Vivekananda’s theory of social change was grounded on the Indian perception of history. It represented a theory of political cycle that projected periodic and circular change in the generations on the ground of law of change, corroborated by historical evidences from history of Greece, Rome and India. Accordingly, he stated that every individual possessed three attributes of Sattva (Knowledge) Rajas (Valor) and Tamas (Ignorance) and every society and subsequently every civilization was divided into four classes. Societies which had maintained division of labour constituted four classes, Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. Swami Vivekananda was of the view that on the foundation of historical proofs and natural law, each of this class in every society ruled the country successively.

Vivekananda said that nearly all civilizations of the world sowed that the first stage of human development was controlled and governed by the Brahmin or a priest. He took the help pf magical powers in ruling the state. He was overtaken by the Kshatriyas or warriors who comprised monarchical or oligarchic governments. Next came the Vaishyas or traders. Modern nations, say for England exemplified that Vaishyas by managing to gather wealth conducted trade and commerce of the country and thereby ruled the country. Hence, the victory of winning over India was not    an achievement of Christianity but a successful venture vested by the commercial classes whose flag resemble a factory chimney, whose warriors akin to merchant men and whose battlefields were similar to market places of the world.

Vivekananda believed that the Shudras were the working rulers of the soil because by dint of their labour power they generated the wealth of the country. Nevertheless, they were unjustly treated and exploited.

Hence, in the political doctrine of Vivekananda, the resurrection and emancipation of India was attuned with the awakening of Shudras and workers and peasants to political power. He was a champion of nationalism and facilitated the underlying principle of Neo-Vedanta to its cause. He availed of region and culture to promote the ideas of nationalism.