We explain what primitive communism was, its economy, advantages, disadvantages and other characteristics.

What was primitive communism?
According to the perspective of Marxism, primitive communism or primitive mode of production was the first stage of political-social organization in history. It corresponds to the first organized human communities of the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods, and to the few hunter-gatherer societies that persist today.
Before the invention of agriculture, human beings organized themselves into tribes or groups dedicated to obtaining resources through hunting, fishing and gathering. Its members shared goods based on a simple principle of cooperation, aimed at satisfying everyone's basic needs and facing the dangers of nature.
According to the scheme formulated by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in texts such as The origin of the family, private property and the State (1884) by Engels, these groups constituted the first social and collaborative community, devoid of any form of private property. When property appeared, with the origin of agriculture, slave, feudal and capitalist modes of production would have followed one another.
The Marxist characterization of primitive communities was questioned by various archaeologists and anthropologists who highlighted that the culture of prehistoric groups varies greatly from one region to another, and that in many cases these communities had more complex practices and beliefs than traditionally believed.
From a Marxist point of view, primitive communism came to an end with the Neolithic revolution a concept by the Marxist archaeologist Vere Gordon Childe (1892-1957) that describes the moment in which agriculture and livestock were developed. This revolution brought the diversification of work and the social division of the population, which laid the foundations for the urban revolution with which the first social classes appeared.
The Marxist view of history, known as historical materialism understands the history of humanity as the transition from some modes of production to others. This perspective is based on considering production relations as the foundation of all social organization. When these relations of production come into contradiction with the development of productive forces, the struggle between the oppressed and oppressing classes leads to transformations or revolutions that mark the transition to another mode of production.
Key points
- Primitive communism is the first mode of production of history according to historical materialism (that is, according to the Marxist reading of history).
- It corresponds to human groups from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods, although it was also applied to contemporary hunter-gatherer societies.
- It is characterized by the collective ownership of goods and the obtaining of resources for subsistence, which implies the nonexistence of private property and the generation of wealth.
- It lacks social classes and a State, since the division of labor is based on age and sex, and there is no productive specialization.
- The concept of primitive communism was questioned by archaeologists and anthropologists, as it ignores that many prehistoric groups were more complex than traditionally believed.
Characteristics of primitive communism
Early communism was characterized by the Marxist tradition as a community organization in which private property did not exist since the land and food resources belonged to the community and were not the exclusive property of anyone. It was also an organization in which there was no State, since since there were no social classes, laws that regulated the domination of one class over another were not necessary.
The concept of primitive communism was commonly used within Marxism to characterize prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies in which humans worked with rudimentary tools made of stone, wood or bone. The only division of labor was in terms of the physical capacity of each person, which implied a division of labor according to age and sex.
According to some contemporary anthropologists, at that time there may have been a matriarchal society, led by women, in which polyandry would have existed (the same woman could have several male partners). However, the consensus among specialists is that there was no prehistoric matriarchal society, but perhaps matrilineal societies (in which descent was defined by the maternal and not the paternal line).
See also: Scientific communism
Economy of primitive communism

According to Marxist theory, the producers of primitive communism did not create surpluses for exchange, nor did they accumulate goods, but rather They produced what was essential to satisfy the most immediate needs. There was also no currency or need for it, since there was no possibility of concentrating wealth and exchanging it.
The basic needs of each individual were guaranteed by their own work and by their membership in the community. Therefore, there were no relationships exploitation among human beings since no one was forced to work for another nor could they stop working for the community.
Hunting, fishing and gathering were the ways to obtain resources. That is, food was sought wherever it was available in nature (and not through agricultural or livestock production techniques), and only what was necessary for sustenance was obtained.
On the other hand, the community lacked greater specializations in jobs, such as making tools or building shelters, since everything was done through collective effort. The only specialization that could be found was male occupation in hunting and fishing, and female occupation in gathering and breeding.
In the Marxist interpretation, The end of primitive communism was marked by the change towards another mode of production. The domestication of animals and the beginning of agricultural and livestock work gave rise to means of production that generated productive surpluses, that is, more resources than those strictly necessary to survive.
This way the accumulation of goods and labor specialization began since some people generated enough food so that others did not have to produce and could instead dedicate themselves to other tasks, such as leadership, war, the priesthood, sciences, artisanal production and the arts.
Advantages of primitive communism
The advantages of primitive communism according to Marx and Engels would be the following:
- There was no exploitation of one class over another and therefore it is assumed that there were no social resentments, no envy, no wars, nor any of the negative aspects of contemporary societies (however, archaeological evidence shows that there were various forms of violence in prehistory).
- There were no political hierarchies since the distribution of tasks did not contemplate any type of leadership or the exercise of power by a person or group exempt from work.
- There was cooperation within human groups rather than competition, and work was passed down from generation to generation.
- It was a society in harmony with the environment which did not produce levels of pollution and intervention on the landscape that would have irreparable effects on the ecosystem.
Disadvantages of primitive communism
The disadvantages of primitive communism according to the Marxist interpretation would be the following:
- He had a low level of development given that the lack of division of labor (except by age and sex) did not leave free time to explore new and better work methods, or for innovation in other work activities.
- It was a society focused on subsistence which prevented the emergence of scientific, philosophical and artistic knowledge, and therefore the creative potential of the human species was wasted.
- He had a very simple way of life, with a very low life expectancy since diseases and attacks by wild animals caused many deaths.
- It did not produce significant changes in the development of the communities since the needs of the population were very limited and many intellectual or spiritual concerns were not explored.
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References
- Godelier, M. (1977). Marxist theory of pre-capitalist societies. Laia.
- Misachi, J. (2017). What Is Primitive Communism? World Atlas. https://www.worldatlas.com/
- Ramrattan, L. and Szenberg, M. (2018). Communism, primitive. Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/
- Volle, A. (2024). Historical materialism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/