The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State

1 About this book

The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State (1884), was a provocative and profoundly influential critique of the Victorian nuclear family. Engels argued that the traditional monogamous household was in fact a recent construct, closely bound up with capitalist societies.

Under this patriarchal system, women were servants and, effectively, prostitutes. Only Communism would herald the dawn of communal living and a new sexual freedom and, in turn, the role of the state would become superfluous.

Good for readers who want: history, politics, and a book they can read free online.

• History
• Sociology
• Political science
• Social evolution
• The State
• Traditional societies
• Family life
• Genealogy