Primitive communism

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Primitive communism, according to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, is the original hunter-gatherer society of humanity. Marx and Engels were influenced by the work of the pioneering anthropologist Lewis H. Morgan. Morgan's work is now usually regarded as outdated, and there is no universally accepted description of the way of life of pre-historic humans; however, there are many advocates of the notion of primitive communism, both Marxist and non-Marxist.

It has been suggested that the model of primitive communism may apply to some but not all early human societies because some hunter-gatherer societies may have been able to store food and thus generate surplus and have social stratification as a result. Further, it has been suggested that primitive societies may have contained some, but not all of the features presently associated with the goals of "communism".

In a primitive communist society, all able bodied persons would have engaged in obtaining food, and everyone would share in what was produced by hunting and gathering. There would be almost no property, other than articles of clothing and similar personal items, because primitive society produced almost no surplus; what was produced was quickly consumed. The few things that existed for any length of time (tools, housing) were held communally. There would have been no state.

Domestication of animals and plants following the Neolithic Revolution through herding and agriculture was seen as the turning point from primitive communism to class society as it was followed by private ownership and slavery, with the inequality that it entailed. In addition, parts of the population specialized in different activities, such as manufacturing, culture, philosophy, and science. This stratification is said to lead to the development of social classes.

Those groups that advocate a return to or are inspired by hunter-gatherer society are associated with the movement of anarcho-primitivism.

[edit] See also

• Marx's theory of history