Forces of production

   The term “forces of production” or “productive forces” refers to a crucial element in Karl Marx’s theory of historical materialism. It is used by Marx to refer to a broad range of factors involved in the process of production. For example, he includes under the heading “forces of production” tools and machines such as ploughs and steam engines, factories and workshops, raw materials, roads and canals, knowledge and skills, and even classes directly involved in production, such as the working class in capitalist society. The forces of production along with the relations of production constitute the economic base of society, and the economic base is crucial in shaping the nature of the rest of society, its superstructure. Some interpreters of Marx, such as Gerry Cohen, attribute a causally determining role to the forces of production, suggesting that the nature of the forces of production ultimately determines the nature of society as a whole. This interpretation is known as technological determinism.