Understanding Marx and Engels' Classification of Societies

Marx and Engels have classified societies based on different modes of production. They never established a definitive classification, and throughout all their works, there are various proposals. The best known is the following:

1) Tribal Community

Tribal community: It is the oldest mode of production. It was formed by the meeting of several families. Initially, it was nomadic and later became agricultural. With little division of labor and low productivity, they practiced primitive communal societies, and social classes were not found.

2) Asiatic Society

Asiatic society: This is a continuation of the previous mode. It is a rural society in which there is still private property. The property is in the hands of the despot or the council of heads of families, who control the property with a view to the common interest.

3) The Ancient City

The ancient city: The social organization of ancient Greece and Rome are examples of this society. It is formed by the grouping of various tribes. The power is in the city, not in the field. In its origin, it is a military social organization, and land ownership is obtained through war. Along with state-owned land, private property appears. The state is an expression of free men or citizens. The basic social classes are the citizens and the slaves.

4) Feudal Society

Feudal society: This is a rural home that soon becomes urban. The land is in the hands of large landowners, and serfs work the land. In it, we find division of labor, social classes, and social hierarchy. In the city, there is social division and hierarchy: artisans must belong to corporations, and within the basic hierarchy are artisans, journeymen, and apprentices.

5) Bourgeois Capitalist Society

Bourgeois capitalist society: This appears due to the development of trade and industry. There is significant technological development and a strong division of labor, leading to very different social classes. The ruling class is the bourgeoisie of urban origin. The concentration of workers aimed at greater productivity would lead to the emergence of the proletariat.

Phases of Capitalism

Commercial capitalism: The expansion of markets and the discovery of new products and raw materials leads to the development of the middle class.

Manufacturing and industrial capitalism: Mass production is achieved through the emergence of factories specializing in production activity and the concentration of workers in cities. The company transitions from rural to urban, leading to the emergence of the working class or proletariat.

Financial capitalism and colonialism: Neither Marx nor Engels studied this phase; it was analyzed by Lenin.

Depending on the mode of production and the social relations that derive from it, the social structure will vary. When a society does not have all its members working, meaning not everyone is involved in production, the society will be divided into classes, one of which is exploitative and another composed of workers who are exploited. Thus, in antiquity, there were masters and slaves; in the Middle Ages, there were masters and servants; and in the early modern period, there were capitalists and proletarians.