Much of Morgan’s anthropological research would come under fire for inaccuracies. How much does the historical detail matter for Engels’s case? What has to be true in order for his basic thesis to be true, or at least convincing?

What evidence does Engels present for his claim that matriarchy is a more peaceful and natural system than patriarchy? How does this claim challenge social structures beyond the family?

How, in Engels’s telling, were men ultimately able to usurp the main honors of the family from women, if matriarchy is a system more in line with the essential facts of human nature?