ABSTRACT
A broadly agreed picture of primitive society had been established by the 1870s, one that was to endure with no substantial changes for another generation. Kinship in blood was the original basis for social relationships. The earliest societies were little more than coalitions of kinship groups. Marriages united whole groups of men and women. Descent was traced only in the female line. Gradually, this primeval system was reformed. Fatherhood began to be recognised. Relationships traced through males became more significant. The old regime was eventually overthrown in a great revolution. A state was formed based upon territory, private property was recognised, and what Morgan called ‘the true family in its modern acceptation’ became the norm. Societies all over the world were destined to pass through the same stages, although some had apparently got themselves stuck in a condition of savagery or barbarism.
