Modes of production towards perfection

                        Evolution of Societies       

                                                     Chapter – 2

                                    Modes of Production and their
                                 Evolutions to Create an Ideal Society

“Philosophers have so far only changed their interpretation of the world;

the point, however, is to change the world” —Karl Marx

‘Mode of Production’ means how socially needed goods are produced by

the different industrial organizations on the basis of their ‘capital ownership’.

The capital ownership may be in the form of ‘sole trading business’,

‘partnership’, ‘cooperative society’, Joint-stock company’, ‘multinational

corporation (MNC)’ etc.

                Modes of production and Karl Marx

Basic and Superstructures of societies

It is the supreme historical discovery of Karl Marx that all the societies

are established on two structural factors. One is basic structure and the other

is superstructure. The basic structure is the foundation of society, that forms

the ‘mode of production’. The basic structure is exclusively owned by the

capitalists or those who own the capital. The superstructure of society is built

upon the basic structure of society, and it forms the fabrication of society

such as legal system, education system, religious practices, custom and

conventions, cultural formations etc. It is invariably controlled to the views

and visions of the ‘capital owners’ at the basic structure.

The Basic structure: The basic structure of any society is laid on the

factor that ‘who primarily owns the ‘capital’ of the industry. Capital denotes

not just ‘machines and tools and factory buildings’. Moreover, the capital not

only assists labors and increases their productivity but it also possesses

enormous ‘economic power’ that will explicitly control all socioeconomic

and political activities of a society.

 A New World Order

The Superstructure: On the other hand the ‘superstructure’ of the society

that has been raised upon the basic structure consists of various aspects of

society such as the fabrication of education, religion, customs and conventions,

political systems, judiciary and legal systems. It is those capitalists who are in

possession of basic structure design the elements of the superstructure of

society in the way in which they should protect themselves and not the common

people. With the help of capital and production of various goods and services

the capitalists even demoralize the well-established culture of the society for

their aim of ‘maximisation of profit’ in terms of money. Such form of societies

always exhibit inequalities, undemocratic, arrogant, chaotic and full of

complexities. Most of the philosophers, therefore, warn the people that the

creation of ‘just society’ will ever be a ‘will- o’- the- wisp’.

“Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands. The result is

an oligarchy of capital the enormous power of which cannot be effectively

decided even by a democratically organized political society”.

—Albert Einstein