Origins of the family, private property, and the state

One of the great classics of Marxism is the book by Frederick Engels entitled "The Origins of the Family, Private Property and the State". In this book Engels applies the Marxist method of historical materialism to the earliest periods of pre-history to analyse the past and uncover the origins of the institutions we see today. Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal, gives an introduction to the book and explains how class society came into existence.