p Of all the diverse social relations historical materialism singles out the material, production relations as the main and determinative ones. It is the totality of these production relations that constitutes the economic structure of society, its basis. The totality of production relations should be understood to mean the forms of property and, arising out of them, the relations between people in the process of production and the way material wealth is distributed.

p Each society has its own basis. The type of basis as the totality of production relations depends on the condition of the productive forces. No basis can appear until the corresponding material conditions, the productive forces necessary for its birth, arise within the old society.

p Once it arises, the basis plays a tremendous part in the life of society. It enables people to organise the production and distribution of material wealth. Without entering into economic relations, people cannot produce, and, 202 consequently, cannot distribute the means of subsistence.

p The basis is important because it serves as the real foundation upon which the superstructure arises, i. e., political, legal, philosophical, moral, artistic and religious views and their corresponding relations, institutions and organisations. That is why the basis is that aspect of the mode of production which directly moulds the face of society, its ideas and institutions.

The superstructure also plays a very important role in social development. Arising on a definite economic basis, it ultimately expresses the attitude of people to this basis. Various ideas help people to justify the need to strengthen or destroy the given basis, while institutions and organisations (the state, political parties, etc.) enable them to apply these ideas. It is through the basis that the superstructure influences the development of the productive forces. For example, the Communist Party, the Soviet state, the socialist superstructure as a whole, play a great role in building the material and technical base of communism, in developing communist production forces.