The rate of change is the speed at which change occurs in time and space. The rate of change has never been the same or uniform at all times. In the remote past, change was observed to be very slow.
Whereas, in the recent times, change has become relatively very fast due to various factors, such as, new technological inventions, diffusions, and social revolutions. New scientific and technological revolution through new inventions paved way for the rapid change.
For instance, industrial revolution, which was a great breakthrough in the system of production and distribution of goods that has brought great and rapid change in the modern times have been largely the result of scientific and technological inventions. Social and/or cultural revolution also contributes to the acceleration of social change aside from technological/ material revolution.
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Revolutionary social changes are large-scale changes in the structure of a society or a state. Revolutionary changes generally mean major or complete alteration in the entire basis of structure of a society including its various social institutions, culture, ideas, and belief systems.
Many revolutionary movements for socialism, democracy, nation-state/ self-determination etc. are also responsible for acceleration of social change. However, we should keep in mind that the rates of change that are being discussed are not the same for all societies.
Even within the same society, there are variations in the rate of change. For distance, changes in urban areas are observed to be faster than those in rural areas. In the same way, changes will-also be faster in the societies that are more open and receptive to change.