We explain what the modes of production, the forces and relations of production are. Also, feudal, capitalist and other modes.
What are the modes of production?
The modes of production are the different ways in which economic activity is organized in a particular society at a given moment, that is, they change over time, along with the evolution of societies and technological advances.
Productivity is the relationship between the production or quantity of goods generated, and the resources used for their manufacture, such as natural resources, the labor force and their social division.
Economic activity is the process of creating products and services, from the extraction of raw materials, the productive force, the means of production and the manufacturing process of goods and services, their exchange and the generation of added value. Depending on the type of activity, they are grouped into primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary and quinary sectors.
The concept “modes of production” It was first used in the book The German ideology (1932) by Karl Marx (1818-1883) and Friedrich Engels (1820-1895), considered the fathers of scientific socialism and modern communism.
Over the course of human history, modes of production have changed, that is, productivity and its relationship with economic activity have changed. Some modes of production were: the agricultural production system, the feudal system, the socialist system, the capitalist system.
See also: Factors of production
Production relations
For Marxism, production relations are the links that exist between human beings with the process of productivity and ownership of the means of production.
The concept links economic production with the social system and states that there are relationships between the modes of production (economic) with the types of social relations (class division and division of labor).
According to Marx, some characteristics of the relations of production were:
- Social classes were defined according to the relations of production or the division of labor throughout history.
- Social classes have always faced each other on different sides that were determined by the place they occupied in the production model: exploiters and exploited.
- The interests of social classes are unequal and, in one way or another, they always end up clashing.
- Currently, the capitalist system replicates the same economic-social structure: a bourgeoisie that owns the means of production and the proletariat that only has its labor force.
- The perfect society is one in which there are no exploiters or exploited, and private property is socialized.
Marx's ideas promote pure socialism in which there is only a single social class that manages the means of production to decentralize the economy. The theory maintains its logic but, however, in practice it has turned out to be a utopia.
Types of production modes
Among the main modes of production throughout history we can highlight the following:
- Primitive mode of production. It was one of the first stages of economic-social development during the Paleolithic (Stone Age). It was based on hunting and food gathering activities, which were shared in the nomadic community. The concept of private property did not yet exist and production was conditioned by collective needs.
- Despot-tributary mode of production. It was one of the first consolidated systems, starting from the Neolithic (New Stone Age), in which humans moved to a sedentary lifestyle and began to practice agriculture. This allowed the communities to grow increasingly in number of inhabitants and were organized into city-states dominated by a monarchical minority that centralized power, and the people made up of artisans, workers and slaves.
- Slave mode of production. It was a system typical of ancient times that, to a lesser extent and under different conditions, continues to exist in some parts of the world and that involves the violation of human rights. In ancient times, slaves were not considered citizens, so their rights were not recognized. They were marketed as if they were merchandise and became the private property of the wealthiest social classes of the aristocratic monarchy.
- Feudal mode of production. It was a system that occurred at the end of the Middle Ages and was based on work and exploitation of the land for agricultural-livestock industries that, through sophisticated tools such as wheel plows and mills, were able to develop a large scale work. However, labor remained poorly paid. Despite large agricultural production, the problem of hunger and malnutrition continued due to the gap between social classes.
- Socialist mode of production. It is a system that opposes capitalism. It proposes the union of classes into a single social group and the end of private ownership of the means of production. It defends the redistribution of wealth managed by a tax system. However, the authors of this ideology, Marx and Engels, have not been able to detail how to implement these ideas in practice, without being affected by corruption and absolutism.
- Capitalist mode of production. It is the most widespread system in the world and consists of the private ownership of the means of production that, through a process of manufacturing and marketing of goods and services in the market, seeks to obtain a profit or surplus value at the expense of the exploitation of the resources.
Reflection on modes of production
Despite the great social and economic changes that have impacted or conditioned the modes of production throughout history, in recent years it began to be considered that no mode known until now is viable for life on the planet: the constant and accelerated pace of consumption in today's societies.
The modes of production, both those managed by a decentralized fiscal entity and by private individuals and corporations, represent an abuse of natural and human resources through labor.
The production system is in crisis, because it is a linear system that uses and abuses finite natural resources. The consumption system is the tip of the iceberg of a productive, economic and, mainly, political system, which encourages overproduction and overexploitation of the planet.
If States in all parts of the world do not fulfill their role and responsibility to protect natural resources, biodiversity and people's rights these changes will not be possible. It is key that citizens demonstrate against these abuses, in defense of their rights and life.
Continue with: Asian mode of production
References
- Leonard, A. (2007). The history of things (video). https://www.youtube.com/
- Leonard, A. (2022). The story of plastic (animated short) (video). https://www.youtube.com/
