Marx's Four Modes of Production
According to Marx, the mode of production means the surplus taking the form of profit. Mode of production is of different types; each has its specific relations of production and can change. More than one mode of production exists within any society at a given time. During his studies of human societies, there are four modes of production identity by Marx.
Asiatic Mode of Production:
Asiatic mode refers to a specific original mode of production. This is distinct from the ancient slave or feudal mode of production.
The Asiatic mode of production is characteristic of primitive communities in which ownership of land is communal. This mode of production constitutes one of the possible forms of transition from classless to class societies; it is the most ancient form of transition. The concept of the Asiatic mode of production is therefore inadequate for an understanding of Indian history and society.
Ancient Mode of Production:
Ancient mode of production refers to the forms which precede capitalist production. Slavery is the basic foundation of the productive system. The reproduction of slavery depended on the capacity of the society to acquire new slaves on an apparatus which is not directly linked to the capacities of demographic reproduction of the enslaving population. In slavery, the growth of the labour force is independent of effective demographic forces.
The mode of exploitation permits a demographic manipulation of society. It permits the modification of the birth rate, the manipulation of the “age” at birth, and the manipulation of the duration of life and active life.
The test of the slave mode of production's dominance lies not in the number of slaves but in their location, that is, in the extent to which the elite depend on them for their wealth.
Feudal Mode of production:
Marx’s writing about feudalism focuses on the transition between the feudal and the capitalist modes of production. They were concerned with the existing form of labour and how ruling classes appropriated the products of labour. Capitalists exploited the “proletariat,” and feudal lords exploited tenants or “Serfs.” Serfs were legally not free and were deprived of property rights, though they could use the lord’s property. The feudal lord was able to force serfs based on military strength. The force of law backed this power. In this mode of production, serfdom implied a direct relationship between rulers and servants. In feudal serfdom, the instruments of production were simple and inexpensive. The evolution of the feudal system brought the development of the exchange of agricultural and manufactured products in regional markets.
Capitalist Mode of Production:
Capitalist refers to a mode of production in which capital is the dominant means of production. Capital can be in various forms. It can take the form of money or credit for the purchase of labour power and materials of production. In the capitalist mode of production, the private ownership of capital in its various forms is in the hands of a class of capitalism. Thus, it can be the central feature of capitalism as a mode of production.
Capitalism has the following characteristic:
Goods are produced for sale rather than for their own use.
The capacity to do useful work or labour power is bought and sold in a market.
The use of money is a medium of exchange.
The capitalists or their managers control the production process.
The capitalist entrepreneur controls financial decisions.
Individual capitalists compete for control over labour and finance.
Lastly, Marx viewed capitalists as a historical phase that was eventually replaced by socialism.
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