See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

17 used & new from £3.97
See All Buying Options
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (Paperback)

by Friedrich Engels (Author), Evelyn Reed (Introduction)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


6 new from £13.00 11 used from £3.97
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover Order it used
Paperback £25.00 £25.00 20 used & new from £22.27
Unknown Binding Order it used

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Condition of the Working Class in England

The Condition of the Working Class in England

by Friedrich Engels
4.6 out of 5 stars (8)  £7.69
Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (Dodo Press)

Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (Dodo Press)

by Friedrich Engels
4.5 out of 5 stars (2)  £6.99
The Communist Manifesto (Penguin Classics)

The Communist Manifesto (Penguin Classics)

by Karl Marx
3.9 out of 5 stars (36)  £3.99
Leviathan (English Library)

Leviathan (English Library)

by Thomas Hobbes
4.6 out of 5 stars (9)  £5.03
Prison Notebooks: Selections

Prison Notebooks: Selections

by Antonio Gramsci
5.0 out of 5 stars (2)  £14.24
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Pathfinder; New edition edition (20 Nov 1972)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0873482611
  • ISBN-13: 978-0873482615
  • Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.4 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 436,177 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #90 in  Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Government & Politics > Political Science & Ideology > Conservatism

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
Know Your Family Origin?
   www.myheritage.com    Create a free family tree Research your family origin 
Free Surname Search
   www.familyfootsteps.co.uk    Search here for your Coat of Arms and the origin of your family name 
Family Origin
   www.Ask.com    Search for Family Origin Find Family origin 
  
 

Product Description

Book Description
"An eternal being created human society as it is today, and submission to 'superiors' and 'authority' is imposed on the 'lower' classes by divine will." This suggestion, coming from the pulpit, platform and press, has hypnotized the minds of men and proves to be one of the strongest pillars of exploitation.

The history of the family dates from 1861, the year of the publication of Bachofen's "Mutterrecht" (maternal law) Engles makes the following propositions:

*That in the beginning people lived in unrestricted sexual intercourse, which he dubs, not very felicitously, hetarism.

*That such an intercourse excludes any absolutely certain means of determining parentage; that consequently descent could only be traced by the female line in compliance with maternal law -- and that this was universally practiced by all the nations of antiquity.

*That consequently women as mothers, being the only well known parents of younger generations, received a high tribute of respect and deference, amounting to a complete woman's rule (gynaicocracy), according to Bachofen's idea.

*That the transition to monogamy, reserving a certain woman exclusively to one man, implied the violation of the primeval religious law (i.e., practically a violation of the customary right of all other men to the same woman), which violation had to be atoned for its permission purchased by the surrender of the women to the public for a limited time. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(1)
See all 2 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State
81% buy the item featured on this page:
The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State 5.0 out of 5 stars (3)
The Condition of the Working Class in England
19% buy
The Condition of the Working Class in England 4.6 out of 5 stars (8)
£7.69
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

3 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book, shame about the review, 20 Mar 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (Classics) (Paperback)
You would have thought that the official review could have at least have got the spelling of Engels' name correct.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5.0 out of 5 stars Engels` masterpiece on the Origin of the Family, 29 Jun 2009
By CM Weston (Warsaw) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Engels wrote this book in 1884 - a year after the death of his longterm partner, Marx. It was influenced by some of Marx`s own writings - an example of the lively exchange of ideas between the two, and research published by an anthropologist of the time, Lewis H Morgan, contained in "Ancient Society".
Engels goes through the major epochs of man and woman`s coexistence from the time of 'Savagery' through 'Barbarism' to the epoch of 'Civilization', describing how woman`s role has changed due to economic developments - the rise of capitalism and the impact on society, in particular, women`s role and rights. For this, Engels turns to research conducted on American indians and other tribes, as well as tracing the history of the Athenian state, Rome and the German tribes.
It is quite a wideranging book in the subjects covered - touching upon the history of social relationships - the economic ascent of man and fall of woman, sex, social anthropology et al. It is also no wonder that this book attracts warm compliments from feminists with: "The overthrow of mother right was the world historic defeat of the female sex. The man seized the reins in the house also; the woman was degraded, enthralled, the slave of the man`s lust, a mere instrument for breeding children. The lowered position of women has become gradually embellished and dissembled and, in part, clothed in a milder form, but by no means abolished". Or: "The first division of labor is that between man and woman for child breeding".
But this is not all, Engels also touches on environmental issues towards the end of the book - he has already spotted the reverse side of unbridled economic development.
In addition, Engels lets loose his usual wry observations and humour - 'the principal industry of Verdun in the tenth century, that is, in the Holy Roman Empire,' he comments, 'was the manufacture of eunuchs, who were exported with great profit to Spain for the harems of the Moors.'
This is a thought provoking and entertaining work from a classic author.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific, 19 Feb 2005
This review is from: The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (Classics) (Paperback)
This book, although based on several others, tell us much about the origins of our matrimonial bonds and relations. It should be read by those who truly wish to know how our society was born. Many people tend to dislike marx and engels ideas because of "recent" events in russia(urss). Very good stuff. 5 stars
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject















i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

The Body Shop

The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost
Protect and boost your glow with The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost.

›Shop The Body Shop

  

Up to 75% off Shoes

Shoe Clearance - 75% off Shoes
Save up to 75% on shoes for the whole family.

›Shop clearance shoes

  

Train Hard...Play Hard

Nike, Gola, Converse, and more
Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

›Shop now

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates