人类历史的分期，可以有多种分法；不论怎样分，都是要说明人类社会和文明是从低级向高级发展的。例如，康德把人类社会历史分为野蛮时期、民族时期和理性的“公民普遍立法社会”的“至善”（山ehighestgdri）时期。这是最宽泛的分法，几乎是一种普通常识了。马克思的五种生产方式 There are many ways in which the history of mankind can be divided into stages. No matter what the points are, we must state that human society and civilization are developing from a lower level to a higher level. For example, Kant divided the history of human society into periods of barbarism, nationality, and rational “civil universal legislative societies” “ehighestgdri ”. This is the broadest subdivision, almost common sense. Marx’s Five Ways of Production