We explain what the slave mode of production is and its characteristics. Also, its origin, the social classes involved and its purpose.
What is the slave mode of production?
The slave mode of production is an economic, political and social system defined by Marxist thought. This regime is based on the exploitation of the population through a state legal order that establishes the existence of slaves and their obligation to work without pay.
According to Marxist thought, the slave mode of production It was one of the modes of political-social organization of pre-capitalist societies. In them, most of the production was carried out by slaves: people stripped of rights and forced through violence into compulsory servitude without remuneration for their work.
What does “mode of production” mean?
The term “mode of production” refers to a type of historical analysis linked to the thought of Karl Marx. This author described the existence of different modes of production throughout the history of humanity. Although the Marxist analysis of history is still valid today, there are several criticisms regarding the linear evolution of modes of production prior to capitalism.
Frequently asked questions
What is the slave mode of production?
According to Karl Marx, it is a political, economic and social system in which a slave social class is exploited by a slave-owning social class.
What were the societies that had a slave mode of production?
According to Marx, the societies of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome had a slave mode of production. Marx also maintains that in colonial America there was a slave mode of production that favored the growth of capitalism in Europe.
What are the social classes involved in the slave mode of production?
In the slave mode of production there are two social classes that define the political and economic organization of the entire society: slaves and slave owners.
What other modes of production exist?
In addition to the slave mode of production, Marx described the Asian mode of production, the feudal mode of production, and the capitalist mode of production. He also promoted the creation of the socialist mode of production.
Slave mode of production and slavery
The concept of slave mode of production It should not be confused with the term “slavery.”. The first is a category of Marxist analysis and the second is a social and political phenomenon present in numerous societies.
The slave mode of production refers to a socioeconomic regime that is based on the exploitation of slave labor. Marx used this term to describe ancient societies, especially the classical civilizations of Greece and Rome. He maintained that this productive model had been responsible for its political, economic and cultural growth.
The slave mode of production is a social organization in which slaves constitute the main labor and production force. In that sense, It is a pre-industrial type model in which the slave does not receive a salary for his work and his owner only guarantees his basic needs.
On the other hand, slavery is a phenomenon that existed in different societies throughout history, beyond the bases of their productive system (such as feudal or capitalist).
slavery It is a legal condition through which people are deprived of their elementary rights. Slaves are considered property, are subjugated through violence and do not receive compensation for their services. This deprivation of rights took different forms in the different societies in which it existed.
See also: Slavery
Characteristics of the slave mode of production
The slave mode of production is sustained based on the massive existence of enslaved people and forced to work who do not receive any type of remuneration. Slaves only receive food and shelter to guarantee their subsistence, from the master or owner.
In the slave model, Slaves were figures contemplated by law and formally reduced to objects of property without individual or collective rights. Their children could also be born slaves and belong to the same master, or in some cases they could be free or fall into some intermediate category.
In slave societies such as that of Ancient Greece, slavery could be achieved due to non-payment of debts, crimes committed or military defeat. There were even State slaves, dedicated to the function of public service.
Origin of the slave mode of production
For Marxist analysis, the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome were the main societies that implemented a slave mode of production. Although slaves already existed in previous societies, it was the classical Greek civilization (5th and 4th centuries BC) that was the first to implement a social and political system that based its survival on the existence of slave labor.
The slave mode of production also corresponds to the centuries of greatest growth of the Roman Empire, between II BC. C. and the II d. C. The imperial economic system was fueled mainly by the massive exploitation of slaves in the extraction of agricultural surpluses.
Marxist analysis highlights that the decline of both cultures (both Greek and Roman) was linked to the deterioration of the productive system based on the exploitation of slavery.
Social classes in the slave mode of production
In the Marxist analysis of modes of production, Each socioeconomic system contains different social classes that oppose each other. One of them coerces the other through different extra-economic systems of domination.
In the slave mode of production, Marxism mainly differentiates two social classes:
- The free men. They were people who could have territory, property, civil rights and inherit their heritage to their descendants, which could include slaves as well as other property.
- The slaves. They were people devoid of rights and freedoms. In different systems they had different legal conditions, but in all cases they were considered property. They were turned into slaves forcibly and through violence. This could happen due to not paying their debts or being captured as war booty by foreign soldiers, among other causes.
End of the slave mode of production
For Marxist analysis, the slave mode of production entered into crisis when the period of decline of the Roman Empire began. This process was linked to the economic crisis of the 3rd century AD. C. that led to the transformation of the bases of the agrarian system and the increase in the number of free or semi-free agricultural workers.
Specialists debate about How did the transition from a slave mode of production to a feudal mode of production occur?. In general, a correspondence is established between the Ancient Ages with the slave production system and the Middle Ages with the feudal production system. However, this scheme is a generalization, and historians debate the characteristics of this transformation in different European societies.
Other modes of production
In addition to the slave mode of production, Marxist analysis identifies the Asian mode of production, the feudal mode of production, and the capitalist mode of production.
In general, the different modes of production have the following characteristics:
Asian production mode
The Asian mode of production refers to the socioeconomic system described for societies known as “river empires.” It is based on the existence of a social class that establishes an economic and political regime through control of water the elemental resource for the survival of the entire society.
This model was used to describe the societies of Ancient Egypt, Sumeria and Babylon, among others.
Feudal mode of production
The feudal mode of production is one that It is linked to the exploitation of the agricultural population at the hands of the landowning social class of the feudal lords. The lords are owners of the means of production (essentially the lands, mills, roads and other tools) and the peasants have the status of semi-free serfs, who must deliver the production surpluses and work the lords' lands.
This model is used to describe European societies in the Middle Ages.
Capitalist mode of production
The capitalist mode of production is the model of the bourgeoisie, in which the owners of capital control the means of production and the working class offers them their labor force in exchange for a salary with which to consume the goods and services they need. .
This mode of production is what characterizes the industrial European societies of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Socialist mode of production
The socialist mode of production is a mode of production that Marx proposes as an alternative to capitalism, in which control of the means of production is in the hands of the working or working class to prevent them from being exploited by the bourgeoisie.
In the socialist model, the State assumes the abolition of private property and capital to put collective interests before individual interests and, gradually, achieve the creation of a classless society.
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References
- Marx, K. (1990). Contribution to the critique of political economy. 21st century.
- Prats, IS (1998). The mode of production as a structure of exploitation: slavery and taxation. Hispania58(199), pp. 705-711.
- Suárez, DP (2009). The modes of production and the transformations of the classical world. Annals of Ancient, Medieval and Modern History41, pp. 9-20. Institute of Ancient and Medieval History.
- Volle, Adam. (2023). Historical materialism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
