Social theorists in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries emphasised the emergence of industrialisation, urbanisation, secularisation and bureaucratisation as hallmarks of :

Modernity refers to the socio-cultural norms and practices that emerged in the post-medieval era. Social theorists of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Max Weber, Émile Durkheim, and Karl Marx, identified specific structural changes as the defining hallmarks of this era:

• Industrialisation: The transition from agrarian economies to machine-based manufacturing.
• Urbanisation: The mass movement of populations from rural areas to expanding cities.
• Secularisation: The declining influence of religious institutions in public life and the rise of scientific reasoning.
• Bureaucratisation: The development of rational-legal administrative systems to manage complex societies.

In contrast, Feudalism and Medievalism are characterized by agrarian hierarchies and religious dominance, while Kingship is a specific political system rather than a broad social epoch. Therefore, these processes collectively define the transition to a modern society.