The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Marxist Study of Kinship, Inheritance, Patriarchy, and State FormationBy Friedrich Engels
Length8h 51m
About this audiobook
In The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (1884), Friedrich Engels offers a sweeping materialist account of social development, tracing the transformation of kinship, property relations, gender hierarchy, and political authority from communal societies to class-based civilization. Drawing heavily on Lewis H. Morgan's anthropological studies, Engels writes in a polemical yet systematic style, extending Marxist historical analysis beyond economics into the intimate structures of family and law. The book belongs to the nineteenth-century tradition of evolutionary social theory, but its enduring force lies in its insistence that institutions often treated as natural are historical products. Engels, Marx's closest collaborator and one of the principal architects of socialist theory, wrote the work after Marx's death, using Marx's notes on Morgan and his own long engagement with political economy, industrial capitalism, and class struggle. His observations of bourgeois family life, women's subordination, and property accumulation shaped his conviction that social relations are inseparable from material conditions. This book is essential for readers interested in Marxism, feminism, anthropology, and political theory. Though some ethnographic assumptions are now dated, its central questions remain provocative and intellectually generative.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.2 (9.9K)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon, StoryGraph, LibraryThing
GenrePsychology
Length8 hrs 51 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 20, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5Author Biography
Show all chaptersShow less
6TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
7AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION, 1884.
8AUTHOR'S PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION, 1891.
9CHAPTER I. PREHISTORIC STAGES.
10I. SAVAGERY.
11II. BARBARISM.
12CHAPTER II. THE FAMILY.
131. THE CONSANGUINE FAMILY.
142. THE PUNALUAN FAMILY.
153. THE PAIRING FAMILY.
164. THE MONOGAMOUS FAMILY.
17CHAPTER III. THE IROQUOIS GENS.
18CHAPTER IV. THE GRECIAN GENS.
19CHAPTER V. ORIGIN OF THE ATTIC STATE.
20CHAPTER VI. GENS AND STATE IN ROME.
21CHAPTER VII. THE GENS AMONG CELTS AND GERMANS.
22CHAPTER VIII. THE RISE OF THE STATE AMONG GERMANS.
23CHAPTER IX. BARBARISM AND CIVILIZATION.
24Analysis
25Reflection
26Memorable Quotes
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