Old Tibet followed the feudal serfdom characterized by "temporal and religious administration". Under the system, monks and nobles sat over serfs and slaves, who are personally attached to their masters. Its decadent, dark and cruel nature hampered social progress, and slowed down the development of productive forces. Such a system even controlled the mind of the public in the region.

So far as the nature of the political power and the prevailing political situation, the feudal serfdom was a combination of religious and political power. It exercised rule and oppression over the broad masses of the Tibetans ideologically and politically. The local government was composed of upper-class lamas and nobles; they represented the interests of the serf owners. Serfs and slaves were attached to the three estate holders officialdom, nobility and upper-class lamas with monasteries, and were thus deprived of personal freedom. Manorial lords were empowered to beat, punish, sell, present as gift, imprison or even kill serfs.

In accordance with the legal codes followed in old Tibet, people were divided into three classes each composed of three sub-classes. Those on the upper class enjoyed a life value measured with gold while those on the lower class with a piece of straw rope. The court and prison followed rules that allow them to punish those who broke the legal codes in dozens of ways, such as gouging out their eyes, cut off their ears, or chop off their hands or feet. Under the situation, the serfs and slaves enjoyed no freedom, democracy and human rights at all.

In old Tibet, the three estate holders, who made up less than 5 percent of the Tibetan population, owned almost all land, grasslands, mountains and forests, and the overwhelming majority of animals in Tibet. Ownership by feudal manors dominated. In the meantime, however, serfs and slaves, who accounted for more than 95 percent of the Tibetan population enjoyed no means of production at all. This forced them to be attached to the three estate holders. In addition to high land rent, they had to pay dozens of kinds of taxes, plus dozens of kinds of corvee labor free from any charge. A child of a serf or slave was born serf or slave. During his/her life, he/she might be sold or transferred repeatedly. When two married, they had to seek approval from their respective masters. When a serf died, he/she would have to have his/her name wiped out from the master. A serf owner enjoyed the power to own a serf, and part or all of his/her belongings.

The Tibetan society stood still for prolonged period of time under the feudal serfdom. Alongside with economic and cultural stagnation, there was a sharp decrease in population. Average life expectancy was 35 years, and the illiterate accounted for more than 95 percent of the total population. Before the Democratic Reform that lasted from 1959 to 1960, there were only 37,000 people in Lhasa. However, beggars numbered 5,000 in the city. Overwhelming majority of people in Tibet were in dire poverty.

To enslave the broad masses of the Tibetans, the three estate holders deify their feudal prerogatives. Exploiting Tibetan Buddhism, they controlled the mind of the people. Under the situation, new ideology, new culture, science and technology became heretical belief. This is the root cause why Tibet was backward in education, science and culture.

In 1888 and 1904, the imperialist tried to infiltrate into Tibet politically and plunder Tibet economically. They resorted to the armed forces and left no stone unturned to cultivate pro-West people, thus reducing Tibet into a semi-colonial society.

After the Revolution of 1911, the pro-imperialist forces collaborated with the imperialist forces in separatist activities. The Tibetans suffered a lot from this, and social conflicts went from bad to worse. Here lies another reason why the Tibetan society developed at a snail's pace.