The main prerequisites for the division of primitive pre-state society into social classes and, as a consequence, the formation of the state were the development of handicrafts and agriculture, the division of labor, the emergence of surplus production.
Primitive pre-class society
In primitive society, which is the very first socio-political organization of people in human history, the tribal community was the form of association. The connecting link of all its members was consanguinity, collective labor and production, and the even distribution of the fruits of labor.
The main occupations of primitive people were originally hunting, fishing, picking fruits, berries, etc. The catch was divided among all members of the genus. Gradually, people began to master the simplest craft and agriculture. Surplus production began to appear and gradually the common generic property was replaced by private property. Priests, elders and other respected members of the community, taking advantage of their privileged position, enriched themselves at the expense of their fellow tribesmen. This caused intra-community conflicts and ultimately led to the disintegration of primitive society and the emergence of social classes. It follows from this that the root cause of the formation of social classes has an economic basis.
Theories of the division of society into classes
In science, there are several theories of the decomposition of society into social classes. The first attempts to explain this social phenomenon were undertaken by economists at the end of the 18th century.
Historians of the 19th century, including F. Guizot, O. Thierry, approached the matter more thoroughly. They put forward a theory of violence, which explained the decomposition of society into classes by the conquest of weak tribes by stronger ones. The weak side of this theory is the exceptional support for the confrontation between the bourgeoisie and the feudal lords.
The revolutionary democrats have practically touched upon the essence of this issue. They believed that the stratification of society into classes was a consequence of the enrichment of some at the expense of others and, as a result, the plight of the latter.
A well-grounded and complete theory was put forward by K. Marx. In his class theory, he is in solidarity with the socialists and radical democrats and believes that the stage of the formation of social classes is inevitable for every society. However, it is just one of the stages of the historical development of society and is replaced, as K. Marx believes, a classless society. This materialistic theory has a reasonable foundation.
Thus, the reasons for the division of primitive society into social classes were the division of labor, which contributed to the development of trade, and the emergence of a surplus product of production.
