The Primitive Human Herd

Image gallery image — The Primitive Human Herd

Prior to the emergence of Neanderthal Man , human beings lived in large herd – like groups . The retention of this herd like existence was predetermined by the extremely low level of the productive forces . Man , armed with the most primitive tools , could provide for his survival only through his association with a large group of humans . Even in the gathering of grasses and fruits such a group was necessary to provide for mutual defence when wild beasts fell upon them . When man adopted hunting as his way of life , the joint efforts of the group of men and women guaranteed a greater measure of success in obtaining the means of subsistence . Labour was having an ever – increasing influence on the development of a communal way of life , while all production activity demanded that human beings band together . Only in a commune was it possible to retain and pass on skills and experience , the basis of production development , to future generations .

THE PRODUCTIVE FORCES DURING THE FORMATION OF HUMAN SOCIETY

The progressive development of mankind was determined by the further advance of the productive forces and , primarily , by the perfection of the instruments of labour . The remains of tools of fossil man were discovered in China , India , Ceylon , Burma , Algeria , Kenya , Uganda , Tanganyika and other regions of South Africa and Europe . In the U.S.S.R. the remains of fossil man and his tools were discovered in Armenia , the Crimea , along the Black Sea Coast of the Caucasus , in Central Asia and along the Dniester River .

Socio – Economic Formation

The nature of production relations determines the economic system of a given society . This economic system is the basis on which the various social relations , ideas and institutions arise , for the mode of production eventually determines all aspects of life in a given society . First , the basis determines the political and legal institutions and organisations which depend upon the class structure of society ( the state , church , political parties , etc . ) – everything that constitutes the political superstructure of society . Then it determines the various ideas of society ( political , legal , philosophical , religious , artistic , etc . ) – everything that constitutes the ideological super structure of society . Since the basis determines the superstructure , it follows that every change of basis entails a change in superstructure , i.e. , in the existing political institutions and ideology . How ever , the superstructure , though dependent upon the basis , can in turn influence production relations and can either accelerate or delay their replacement . Every society is thus an integral organism , a socio – economic formation , a definite historical type of society with its own distinctive mode of production , basis and superstructure . The basis of the slave state , as of the feudal and capitalist states , is antagonistic , since it is founded on private owner ship of the means of production and the exploitation by the ruling class of the producers of material values . That is why the socio – economic formation of the slave state in general is an antagonistic , exploiter formation .

Man’s Tools Change

Beginning with the 700th millennium B.C. , man began to fashion his first tools from stone . Later , he cracked and crushed stones to make his first crude stone implements with
a cutting edge . Besides these primitive stone tools he also fashioned wooden tools such as sticks with sharpened tips , clubs , etc. From now on man consistently improved his tools to fit his purposes . He would sharpen both sides of a stone to make a chopper , a large universal tool with which he could chop , cut , strike an enemy and even dig . Such tools were made and used by a type of fossil man close in develop ment to the Pithecanthropus . At this stage , the invention of the chopper was man’s greatest achievement . The next stage in man’s evolution and in the development of the production of material values took place 500,000 to 300,000 years ago , when the first sharp oval choppers , chipped from all sides , came into use as did basically new tools especially fashioned for striking , cutting , digging , etc. In order to fashion the various scrapers , spears and other tools , man had to be skilled enough to strike the stone he was working on with great accuracy . This proves that in the process of production the human organism evolved and its co – ordination was perfected . 🔷The introduction of new tools brought about a change in primitive man’s entire way of life . With the aid of these new tools he could hunt such large animals as elephants , rhinoc eroses , buffalo , stags and horses . Now he could extract more food from the same area than formerly , and this made it pos sible for him to remain in a given area for a longer period of time . Primitive man began to set up temporary camps in places conducive to hunting : near lakes and rivers , along animal paths and the edges of forests , using caves for shelter .🔹