Controversial Problems of the Theory of Precapitalist Societies

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Abstract
In recent years, there have taken place in the social sciences lively discussions devoted to theoretical problems of the greatest importance in the history of precapitalist societies. Among these the following deserve special mention: discussions on the motive forces of anthropo- and sociogenesis; on the relationship between the primitive commune and the clan, and the social ties corresponding to it; on the nature of the socalled barbarian states; on the genesis of feudalism; on the role of the slaveholding mode of production in the ancient world; and, finally, the discussion on the Asian mode of production, which called forth particularly heavy response in the scholarly community. (1) The periodization of the precapitalist stage of development, the classification of the social structures existing during that stage, the factors causing forward motion at various levels in the evolution of society, the mechanism of the transition from a lower level to a higher one, and the paths by which class society came into being proved to be the central issues in the debate. In the final analysis, the individual discussions merged into one about the general regularities of development of precapitalist societies and the specifics of their manifestation among various peoples during different historical periods.

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