home Economy books The history of the world economy - Polyak GB

The history of the world economy - Polyak GB

I. Prehistory and ancient world

1. Primitive Society Economy

The study of the history of primitive society is characterized by a number of specific features. 1) This is the longest period in the history of mankind - from the emergence of the ancient person on Earth before the formation of the first states. In comparison with this period all other epochs in time is negligible. 2) The study of the history of primitive society, a lot of "white spots", the controversial and unresolved issues that may have to the end and will not be solved ever. This is explained as follows: there are no written sources, covering the life of primitive people - writing, as is known, was created in the era of class; findings of bone remains of primitive people are rare and difficult to interpret; data of archaeological excavations, as a rule, provide information only about certain aspects of the material life of the people; extrapolation of contemporary ethnographic material in the distant past are often too subjective and inconclusive. The result is a fundamental disagreement of historians on major issues of life of primitive society. So, there is no consensus on the question of when the world appeared the first people - indicate the date from 5 million to 500 thousand years ago, when there was a reasonable man (estimates range from 200 to 35 thousand years BC...).. . It is also unclear where and why any folk. Another controversy is the question of economic-cultural types and time of their occurrence.

HYPOTHETICAL presented many problems of economic development in the Paleolithic and Mesolithic, occurrence pozdnepervobytnoy community, becoming productive economy, economic folding type higher hunters, fishers and gatherers - the evolution of the form of ownership.

Characteristics of primitive society based on economic history data, reached by science to date, and can not claim absolute completeness.

The economic life of the primitive human herd

The earliest period of human history can be designated as the era of the primitive human herd. The name is no accident: the person at that time practically does not stand out from the animal world. Economic pralyudey life and social relations were such that almost fit into the existing rules in other social animals, especially monkeys.

What chronological boundaries dates back to this era? Date of commencement of anthropogenesis - the formation of man and human society - in 2.5 million years, is the most realistic. It ends this era of the emergence of the modern type of man about 100 thousand. Years ago.

pithecanthrope

During this period, the world of successive ancient pralyudi. The first in this chain has been Pithecanthropus. He was a creature walked upright and was different from modern man, and replaced him by pralyudey primarily the structure of the cranium. Pithecanthropus brain had a volume of 900 cm3, a skull kept many monkey attributes: low height, a primitive structure, highly developed superciliary roller. However, hands Pithecanthropus were able to produce simple labor operation.

Pithecanthropus as scientists assume, was already able to produce some guns. To do this, he used wood and bone, and in addition, boulders and pebbles, subjecting them to a primitive processing: chips on the rocks has not yet exhibit any regularity. Pithecanthropus in the activity also used the so-called eoliths - stones, chopped natural forces. That stone has become the main material for making tools and will be used for a long time - up to the IV-III millennium BC.. e. So the era of the primitive is called the Stone Age, and its initial phase - the early Paleolithic (Old Stone Age). Early Paleolithic ended about 100 thousand. BC. e.

The question of the habitats associated with the Pithecanthropus problem ancestral home of mankind. The most likely areas researchers point to Central and Southern Africa, and Central Asia, and exclude the hypothesis of the origin of humanity in Australia and America, which are generally not included in the settlement area of ​​the great apes. Apparently, some groups Pithecanthropus lived in relative isolation, have not met each other and were separated by genetic barriers.

Everyday life Pithecanthropus was largely similar to the life of their immediate predecessors - australopithecine apes - and they both were predatory lifestyle and hunted small animals. Pithecanthropus also engaged in gathering and fishing - fish caught by hand. They roamed - so it was easier to find food, lived in small groups of 25-30 adults. Housing for them served as a natural refuge in caves, grottoes, rocks, and trees and shrubs. Pithecanthropus could neither support, nor even to make fire.

Sinanthropus

The next in a series of ancient pralyudey was Peking Man, which appeared on Earth about 300 thousand. Years ago. As Pithecanthropus, Sinanthropus was of medium height and stocky build, and the volume of his brain was an average of 1050 cm3. It is believed that Sinanthropus already was capable of audible speech.

More difficult was the work activity Sinanthropus compared with Pithecanthropus activities. Stone tools are more varied, though were not yet fully stable form. The most common hand-axes and flakes with obvious traces of artificial processing.

Peking Man learned to hunt large animals such as deer, wild horses and rhinoceroses. Peking Man lived in caves and learned to build terrestrial home. Buildings built of logs and branches of trees, covered with animal skins and can be significant - up to 15 m long and 6 m wide. Peking Man lived a nomadic life, preferring as habitat banks of rivers and lakes.

Making fire was not yet known, but to maintain natural fire synanthropes already learned. This immediately distinguish them from the natural world: from this time humans were the only creatures on earth, able to use fire for their needs. Their dwellings were pockets, lined with stone, where day and night the fire was burning. If it is quenched, then it becomes a real tragedy for the ancient people - the chances of survival have fallen sharply. Production of fire becomes an important business challenge, and the fight for the fire - a common cause of conflicts and wars between neighboring human groups.

Neanderthals

Neanderthal type of human being was formed about 200 thousand. Years ago. Neanderthals were a small growth (average growth of men was 156 cm), big-boned, with a strongly developed musculature. The volume of the brain in some forms of Neanderthal was more than the average modern man. However, the structure of the brain remained relatively primitive: poorly developed frontal lobes are important for the function of thinking and braking. Thus, the ability to think logically Neanderthals was limited compared to modern man, and behavior characterized by sudden irritability often leads to violent conflicts and clashes.

Stone tools, which produced the Neanderthals - chopped, spicy, awls, drills, flakes - simple and primitive, like the stone itself machinery of the period. Its main methods were Trimming and breaking the stone, which was used flint, sandstone, quartz, volcanic rocks. Stone machinery, however, gradually improved, and guns themselves are taking more correct form: Blades made more direct and sharp, and drill - more subtle and strong. Minced decreased significantly in value (from 20 to 5 cm in length), there were new, previously unknown tools - scrapers, and awls. Another achievement was the invention of the Neanderthal composite tools: some instruments could be made of stone, and some - made of bone or wood.

Complicates and other components of material culture. Well-located and comfortable shelters and caves were engaged in a permanent home - they can be used over several generations. In the open spaces were built structurally complex terrestrial home.

The economic life of the Neanderthals, like their predecessors, based on gathering, fishing and hunting.

Gathering required a great deal of time, and the food gave a little, and mostly low-calorie. Fishing demanded exceptional care, quick response and skill and did not allow large production volumes.

Hunting was the most effective source of much-needed for the human body of animal food.

Objects of hunting depending on the scope of data pralyudey were hippos, elephants, antelopes, wild cattle (in the tropics), wild boars, deer, bison, bears (in the northern regions). Hunting is also on large animals such as the mammoth and the woolly rhinoceros. Hunting required courage, endurance, animal habits of knowledge, it was extremely dangerous and can not be alone.

Neanderthals staged trapping and pens used method, in which all adult males of the community. That is why the hunt was the form of employment, which are most stimulated collective organization of the Neanderthals. Thus, hunting, being the most progressive sector of the economy, was largely determined by the development of primitive society.

Any extraction - be it meat, fish, cereals, fruits, shellfish or insects - did not belong to the person who got it, and all the staff. Distribution of production was, apparently, ravnoobespechivayuschim: reflects the specificity of the community members by sex and age. If the food was not enough, the first thing it got hunters. In extreme situations, practicing the killing of children and the elderly. The most vulnerable are newborn girls. The fact of cannibalism in Neanderthal tribes considered conclusively proved. This behavior of Neanderthals, scientists explain their tremendous aggressiveness and dominance of animal instincts, it was an inevitable consequence of their physiological features - the structure of the skull and brain. Endless bloody conflicts in the Neanderthal groups, as well as the difficult living conditions did not allow Neanderthals live to old age, the majority of them were dying at a young age. But still their number is gradually increasing, and they settled throughout Europe, Asia and Africa, occupying a much larger area than before Pithecanthropus and Sinanthropus.