The process of human society was divided into three stages in the book a history of politics written by Edward Jenks and translated by Yan Fu : totemistic society patriarchal society and military or modern political society ( also country society ) .

严复译 英人 甄克思《政治史》，划分人类社会为 图腾社会、宗法社会、军国社会（亦称国家社会）三种主要 形式。 严复 称，中国社会自秦迄清为宗法居其七，而军国居其三；