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# Early and Rude State of Society

## Definition

A primitive stage of economic development preceding the accumulation of stock and appropriation of land, where the entire produce of labour belongs to the labourer and exchange is based solely on the labour required to produce different commodities.

## Source Chapter

Book I, Chapter 6

## Context

Used as a baseline for understanding economic development. Smith contrasts this state with more advanced conditions to explain how the three component parts of price emerge and how economic relationships become more complex.

## Economic Domain

General Theory

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