Der Ursprung der Familie, des Privateigenthums und des Staats. Im Anschluss an L. H. Morgan’s Forschungen

Friedrich Engels, building on notes by Karl Marx on the anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan's work, argues that the family, private property and the state are not eternal but historical forms that emerged together. He traces stages from early kinship groups through the pairing family to monogamous marriage, and claims that the rise of private property led to the subjugation of women and to a state apparatus that protects the ruling class. The book draws on research on Native American, Greek and Roman societies, and it concludes with expectations of a classless society.

It suits readers of Marxist theory, feminist thought and the history of anthropology. Many of its claims about prehistory have been revised, but it remains a historically significant text.

Deep and outward-looking; a demanding read.

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