KARL MARX PRODUCTION BY DR SAROJ.pdf

Karl Marx theory of historical materialism and production

1. KARLMARX:PRODUCTION
THEORYOFHISTORICALMATERIALISM
InCAPITAL(1861-1879)Marxusedthetermproductionasageneralcategory
tohighlightspecificformsofproductionincapitalistsociety.
Marxregardsmanasboththeproducerandtheproductofsociety.Manmakes
societyandhimselfbyhisownactions
Historyisthereforetheprocessofman’sselfcreation.Historybeginswhenmen
actuallyproducetheirmeansofsubsistence,whentheybegintocontrolnature.
Inordertosurvivehumansneedfood,clothingandshelter.Allthesethings
cannotbeavailableready-madefromnature.Tosurvivehumanproducematerial
goodsfromobjectsfoundinnature.Materialproductionishasalwaysbeenand
stillisthebasisofhumanexistence.
Marxarguesthat“Thefirsthistoricalactistherefore,theproductionofmaterial
life”.Productionisasocialactivitysinceitrequirescooperation.Fromthesocial
relationshipsinvolvedinproductiondevelopsaMODEOFLIFEwhichcanbe
seenasanexpressionoftheserelationships.
Thusthenatureofmanandnatureofsocietyaswholederiveprimarilyfromthe
productionofmateriallife.
FORCESOFPRODUCTION
Theforcesofproductionexpressthedegreetowhichhumanbeingcontrolnature.
Themoreadvancedtheproductiveforcesare,greateristheircontroloverthe
nature.
SOCIALACTIVITY
ESSENTIALFOR
THESURVIVAL
OFHUMANS
TRANSFORMING
NATURE
USINGTOOLSTO
TRANSFOROM
MATERIALINTO
USABLEGOODS
PRODUCTION
MATERIAL
PRODUCTIONIS
BASICTO
HUMAN
SOCIETIES

2. Theforcesofproductionarethewaysinwhichmaterialgoodsareproduced.
Includes:Technologicalknowledge,typesofequipmentinuse,scienceand
relatedskills,machinery,labourpower,experienceandotherhumanfaculties
usedinwork.
Theproductiveforcesrepresentthepowerssocietyhasatitscommandin
materialproduction.
Ineverysocialorderthereisacontinuouschangeinthematerialforcesof
production.Thedevelopmentandchangeinforcesofproductionreflectsthe
constantstruggleofhumanbeingstomasternaturethroughtheirlabour.
RELATIONOFPRODUCTION
Therelationofproductionarethesocialrelationsfoundamongthepeopleinvolvedin
theprocessofproduction.Thesesocialrelationsaredeterminedbytheleveland
characterofthedevelopmentofproductiveforces.
‘Forces’and‘Relations’ofproductionarestronglyinterrelated.Thedevelopmentof
oneleadstoagrowingincompatibilityorcontradictionwiththeother.
Theforcesofproductiondeterminethesuperstructure.
Relationofproductionisnotmerelytheownershipofmeansofproduction.The
relationofproductionarerelationbetweenpeopleandpeoplewhereasmeansof
productionarerelationbetweenpeopleandthings.
Relationofproductionarereflectedintheeconomicownershipofproductiveforces.
Forexampleunderthecapitalismthemostfundamentaloftheserelationsisthe
LABOURPOWER:AccordingtoMarxlabourpoweristhecapacitytodo
suchusefulworkwhichincreasesthevalueofproducts.Workersselltheir
poweri.etheircapacitytodoworkwhichaddsvaluetocommodities.Theysell
theirlabourtothecapitalistforawagepaidincash.Thecategoryoflabour
powerisusedbyMarxtoexplainthesourceofsurplusvalue.
SURPLUSVALUE:Thesourceofsurplusvalueincapitalistsystemof
productionislocatedintheprocesswherebythevaluepaidbycapitalistfor
labourpowerissmallerthanthevaluewhichlabourpoweraddstoacommodity.

3. bourgeois'sownershipofmeansofproductionwhiletheproletariatownsonlyits
labourpower.
MODEOFPRODUCTION
AccordingtoMarxmodeofproductionistherelationshipbetweentherelationof
productionandtheforcesofproduction.Modeofproductioncanbedistinguished
fromoneanotherbythedifferentrelationshipsbetweentheforcesandrelationsof
production.
Modeofproductionisanabstractanalyticalconcept.
Eachmodeofproductionhasitsspecificrelationofproduction.Thesearenot
developedbychanceorbyaccident.Theyaredeliberatelyorderedbecausetheyhelp
thepropertyowningclassextractthesurplusfromtheworkingpeople.Examplethe
PROCESSOFHISTORICALDEVELOPMENTOFSOCIETY
(SOCIETY)
BASE
SUBSTRUCTURE
SUPERSTRUCTURE
(Legalandpolitical
structure,religion,morals,
socialpractices,literature,
art,cultureetc.
FORCESOF
PRODUCTION
RELATIONOF
PRODUCTION
MODEOFPRODUCTION
MEANSOF
PRODUCTION
(toolsan
equipments)
LABOUR
POWER
(human
knowledge
andskills)
Socialformation Contendingclass
Slaveowningsociety MASTERANDSLAVE
Feudalsociety
FEUDALLORDANDSERFS
Capitalistsociety
CAPITALISTANDWORKER

4. relationofproductionunderfeudalism,inwhichtheserfisdominatedinallrespects
oflifebyfeudallord.Itenablethefeudallordtoappropriatethesurplusfromtheserf.
AccordingtoMarxundercapitalistmodeofproduction,thesurplustakestheformof
profit.Surplusisproducedbyexploitingtheworkingclassandissoldformorethan
thewagesgiventotheworkers.
FOURMODEOFPRODUCTION
ASIATICMODEOFPRODUCTION
Characteristicsofprimitivecommunities
Referstocommunitybasedproductionsystemwhereownershipoflandis
communalandtheexistenceofStateisexpressedthroughtherealorimaginary
unityofthesecommunities.
Partlyorganizedonthebasisofkinshiprelations.
Thismodeofproductionconstitutesoneofthepossibleformsoftransitionfrom
classlesstoclasssocieties;itisalsoperhapsthemostancientformofthis
transition.
RelationofProduction
Proletariat,bourgeioise
etc
Privateproperty,
commodityetc.
Meansofproduction
Machines,factories,
rawmaterialetc.
BASE(Economy)
SUPERSTRUCTURE
Everythingnotdirectlyto
dowithproduction
Media Religion
Politics Family
Culture Education
Ideology(waysof
thinking,valuesetc)
Superstructure
maintainsbase
Basemaintains
andshapes
superstructure

5. Itcontainsthecontradictionofthistransitioni.e.thecombinationofcommunal
relationsofproductionwithemergingformsofexploitingclassesandofthestate.
TheconceptofAsiaticmodeofproductionisinadequateforanunderstandingof
Indiansociety.
ANCIENTMODEOFPRODUCTION:
Referstoaproductionsystemwherethemasterhastherightofownershipover
theslaveandappropriatestheproductsofhislabourthroughservitude,without
allowingtheslavetoreproduce.
Therelationofslaveandmasterisconsideredastheveryessenceofslavery.
Slaveistreatedascommodity.
SlaverymodeofproductionwhichMarxreferredtowasfoundduringthe
formationofRomanEmpirearound200AD.
FEUDALMODEOFPRODUCTION
MarxandEngelswereprimarilyinterestedinthedefinitionofthecapitalistmode
ofproduction.
Justasthecapitalistsexploitedtheworkerortheproletariatsodidthefeudal
lordsexploittheirtenantsorserfs.
Feudallordappropriatedlandrentfromtheirserfs.
Serfsbeinglegallyunfreeweredeprivedofpropertyrightsthoughtheycoulduse
thelord’sproperty.Theywereobligedtosurrendertheirlabour.
FeudalsocietywasseenbyMarxandEngelsasintermediatebetweentheslave
societyandtheancientworld
CAPITALISTMODEOFPRODUCTION
AsamodeofproductioncapitalismfirstemergedinEurope.
Capitalismreferstothemodeofproductioninwhichcapitalisthedominant
meansofproduction
Capitalcanbeinvariousforms.
Itcantaketheformofmoneyorcreditforthepurchaseoflabourpower,material
production,physicalmachineryetc.

6. Incapitalistmodeofproductiontheprivateownershipofcapitalinitsvarious
formsisinthehandsofaclassofcapitalists
Ownerofmeansofproductioniscapitalistwhoextractssurplusvaluefromthe
proletariatintheformofprofit.
Workerclassincapitalistmodeofproductionhavenothingexcepttheirlabour
powerastheironlymeansoflivelihood.