Asian Production Mode

We explain what the Asian mode of production is according to Marxism and the debate raised around this concept.

asian production model marxism china india
In the Asian mode of production, water control is central to the economy.

What is the Asian mode of production?

The Asian mode of production, according to the postulates of Marxism, is an attempt to apply the concept of modes of production with which Karl Marx studied and analyzed the economic history of the West, non-Western societies that had different revolutionary developments.

This is a concept still involved in much debate, given that it is not explicitly mentioned in the body of Marx's work. However, many Marxist theorists propose it for those societies that went through periods of colonial rule by the Western powers.

On the other hand, Marx's theoretical companion, Friedrich Engels, did refer to the Asian mode of production. However, for many contemporary scholars It was similar to the conditions of feudal Europe. Even so, in the economic history of Eastern societies such as India, frequently referred to by Marx, the slavery patterns of the West did not occur.

It was distinguished because The State played a predominant role through control of irrigation canals essential for agricultural work. In addition, the State controlled the lands, political and military power.

The latter would be key in the formulation of the concept of the Asian mode of production, particularly to refer to the despotism predominant in the so-called “hydraulic societies”, in which water management was the predominant factor in the organization of production usually under state control.

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Debate on the Asian mode of production

Marxist scholars have not reached an agreement on whether or not he existed an Asian mode of production. Opinion often depends on the historical period. For many thinkers, the model of the extinct Soviet Union is an example. Its rigidity and authoritarianism imposed by Stalin is sufficiently similar to Asian authoritarian governments.

For others, it is just one possible interpretation of the economic history of China and India. Another alternative is to understand it as a tributary mode of production: a model in which a “state class” is created that exclusively governs peasant surplus value, without however possessing exclusive ownership of the land.

Other modes of production

Just as we talk about the Asian mode of production, there are also:

  • Socialist mode of production Proposed as an alternative to capitalism by Marx, it grants control of the means of production to the working class, to prevent them from being exploited by the bourgeoisie. Thus, the State assumes the abolition of private property and capital to put collective interests before individual interests, as a step towards a classless society but with such abundant production that goods are distributed according to need and not according to merit. .
  • Capitalist mode of production The model of the bourgeoisie, imposed after the fall of feudalism and aristocracy, in which the owners of capital control the means of production. The working class offers them their labor power, but they are exploited in exchange for a salary with which to consume the goods and services they need.
  • Slave mode of production Typical of the classical societies of antiquity, such as the Greek or Roman, their production of agricultural goods was based on a slave class, subject to a particular legal and social status, sometimes inhuman, that reduced them to being the property of a master. individual or the State. These slaves had no political participation, no property, nor did they receive any reward for their work.
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References

  • “The Asian mode of production and the end of capitalism” by Jorge San Miguel in Politikon.
  • “Asian mode of production” in Glossary of Philosophy of Webdianoidea.
  • “The Asian mode of production, Universal History” (video) on the CCH Academic Portal.
  • “Asian Mode of Production” in Wikipedia (English).
  • “Asian Mode of Production” in Oxford Reference.
  • “Asian Mode of Production” at Encyclopedia.com.