How did primitive society disintegrate?

A type of social organization in the theory of cultural anthropology, based on consanguinity, with a small population and equal distribution of economic life. Social control is maintained by tradition and parents, without customary law and government power. In a typical primitive society, there is no full-time leader. People of the same age and sex have the same social status. If there is a dispute, mediation will be conducted according to traditional norms, which is generally observed. There are various forms of primitive society all over the world. Some focus on hunting and gathering economy, some focus on fishing, or simple natural agriculture. Tribal organization is a feature of some primitive societies, but not all primitive societies have this feature. According to the theory of cultural evolutionists, some primitive societies maintained the egalitarian nature, but others gradually became hierarchical societies and then developed into chiefdoms, with more complicated organizational forms.

Primitive society is the first stage of the development of human society. So far, it has not been found that there is any nation in the world that has not experienced primitive society. When human beings appeared, primitive society came into being. But his death varies from place to place. In primitive society, the level of human productivity was very low, and the means of production were all public. With the improvement of productivity, after the emergence of surplus products, there has been polarization between the rich and the poor and private ownership, and the original distribution and labor relations have been destroyed and replaced by class society.

Primitive society can be divided into several periods:

1. Paleolithic Age

During this period, humans could only make simple stone tools and make a living by hunting and gathering. In the early and middle paleolithic period, people maintained the relationship within the family through blood relationship. Within consanguineous families, marriage is divided according to the number of generations, and the same generation is husband and wife. However, there is no intergenerational marriage. Such a family is a social group and a production unit. There is a division of labor between the sexes. Men hunt and women adopt children.

In the late Paleolithic period, with the development of productive forces, human beings turned to a relatively settled life. The population is increasing gradually, and at the same time, it is recognized that consanguineous marriage between the same generation in the family is harmful to human health. The original consanguineous family was replaced by clan commune, and exogamy system was formed at the same time. Two clans who intermarry form a tribe. Members of one tribe must marry members of another tribe. In this case, people only know that there is a mother without a father, and the lineage of the clan can only be calculated according to the maternal lineage, so it is called a matriarchal clan. (matriarchal clan and paternal clan refer to who plays a big role in production, not what the author said earlier. For example, if women's work is dominant in the whole society, then the society belongs to the matriarchal clan, and vice versa. )

2. Middle Stone Age

The Middle Stone Age is a transitional stage from Paleolithic to Neolithic. During this period, microliths were widely used. The widespread use of bows and arrows; Known for training dogs; Canoes and wooden paddles were also found in some places.

3. Neolithic Age

The matriarchal clan flourished in the Neolithic Age. The marriage system changed from group marriage to pairing marriage, forming a relatively certain relationship between husband and wife. Within the clan, all property belongs to the collective except the tools commonly used by individuals. Prestigious elderly women are the leaders, the highest authority of the clan is the clan Council, and all participants are adult men and women, enjoying equal voting rights.

Every ancestor has his own name, common belief and territory. When a clan member is hurt by an outsider, the whole clan will avenge him.

In the Neolithic Age, agriculture and animal husbandry came into being, polished stone tools became popular, and pottery was invented.

4. The disintegration of primitive society

At the end of the Neolithic Age, people had already used natural metals, and later learned to make pure bronzes. However, pure copper is not as hard as stone tools, so it can't replace stone tools. This period is also called the age of stones and stones. From about 3000 BC to 2000 BC, human beings learned to make bronze and entered the bronze age. By 65438 BC+0000 ~ early AD, with the use of iron, mankind entered the Iron Age. From the Stone Age to the Iron Age, it was the disintegration of primitive society and the formation of class society. The emergence of class society all over the world is almost related to the era when metals appeared, with the only exception of Maya civilization in America. The process of disintegration of primitive society is different in different civilizations. In Egypt and the two river basins, primitive society disintegrated in the Stone Age, while in other areas, it only disintegrated in the Bronze Age or the Iron Age. During this period, production has developed greatly. There are three main social divisions of labor. With the popularization of agriculture and animal husbandry in production, men gradually replaced women to gain the dominant position in society, and patriarchal commune was formed. In the patriarchal clan commune, birth and lineage are calculated according to the man system, and the patrilineal property inheritance system is implemented. Husband-and-wife system has changed into husband-and-wife system, and unstable pairing marriage has gradually transitioned to monogamy or polygamy. The status of women gradually declined, and the patriarch was replaced by a man. The clan committee consists of the heads of the major families. The clan meeting, which was originally attended by all adult men and women, is now attended by all adult men. With the development of production and the surplus of products, collective labor is gradually replaced by individual labor, resulting in private ownership and class. Aristocratic and civilian classes appeared in the clan. At the end of the period, clans formed by consanguinity began to disintegrate, and some clan members left their clans to live with people who were not related to them. At the same time, clans continued to accept foreigners, so there appeared rural communes divided by region. By this time, the primitive society had basically collapsed, and there was a struggle between different classes. With the deepening of the situation, there was a situation in which the state effectively ruled the people. Many civilized primitive societies have entered the slave society after disintegration.