Historical Materialism and Social Production
Historical Materialism: Critique of Political Economy
Anatomy of Civil Society
Civil society forms the basic framework of economic activities. A systematic study of social relations reveals how civilian goods are produced and distributed. The social body, distinct from the state, decides societal matters and holds legal power.
Social Production of Life
Production encompasses any human activity that fulfills needs. Humans are defined by what they produce. Production involves how individuals produce and the means they use. This production grows when the means of production expand. Three aspects of social activity are:
- The first premise of human existence is survival. The initial historic act is producing the essentials for basic needs.
- These basic needs lead to new, secondary needs.
- Procreation: The relationship between man and woman, parents and children, and the family.
Relations of Production
Relations of production arise between members of society during activities that ensure social production. These relations are determined by an individual’s place in the social division of labor, exchange, distribution, and appropriation of social profit. Private ownership of the means of production leads to unequal distribution of work and benefits, resulting in antagonistic classes (the dominant class owning the means of production and the dominated class working) and perpetual class struggle.
Social Productive Forces
Productive forces represent the technological capabilities of a social formation at a specific historical moment to meet production needs. Marx emphasizes that changes in productive forces alter social relations (e.g., the shift from hand mills to mechanical mills).
Economic Structure of Society
The social basis, or infrastructure, consists of relations of production and productive forces. This involves the relationship between owners of the means of production and workers. Marx considers this “real” basis central to explaining social conflicts and historical change. Upon this economic base rests the superstructure (spiritual factors).
Superstructure
The superstructure comprises other social manifestations dependent on economic factors. These include:
- Law and the state: Legal forms (law creation and administration) and political organization are linked to economic power structures.
- Ideology: This set of representations (myths, ideas) and values masks the fundamental economic reality. In societies divided by class and conflicting interests, the ruling class presents its ideas as rational ideology. The dominant ideology always reflects the dominant class.
Historical Materialism: Philosophy of History
For Marx, history is a maturation process of humanity’s economic capacity to control nature and produce means to meet growing needs. Class struggle, arising from the relations of production of each era, drives human history. This struggle unfolds dialectically: the capitalist class (thesis) opposes the proletariat (antithesis), leading to a synthesis (communist society).
Communist Society
In communist society, humans will be fully realized, overcoming the alienation caused by capitalism.
Marxist View of Capitalist Society
The relationship between the bourgeoisie and proletariat is exploitative. The bourgeoisie owns capital and the means of production, while the proletariat sells its labor for wages. Class struggle will dismantle capitalism, paving the way for a more equitable society.
Steps Towards Communist Society
- Revolution led by the proletariat, guided by the Communist Party, will destroy existing production means and relations, transforming the superstructure.
- The proletariat’s political power establishes a dictatorship to eliminate capitalism’s remnants and educate people influenced by capitalist ideology.
- The socialist state owns the means of production, progressively eliminating class differences.
- In communist society, classes, the state, and religion become unnecessary and are extinguished. This requires high technical development to provide an abundance of economic resources.