BASE = PRIMARY ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
According
to Marx social reality can be illustrated using the metaphor of a
building. A building has two part:
a) a
base or a structure [foundation,pillars etc.]
b) a superstructure [structure erected upon
the foundation]
The base
is all the economic activities that take place in the society. This base determines the people’s lives in
each and every phase of life. This base draws
lines within which the whole of social existence is confined, and is the back
born of physical existence. This social structure, fully controlled by the
economic factors, compels human beings to follow the laws of production so that
they may enjoy all the material advancements aimed at improving the day to day life.
The base
includes the very force of nature, and thus it is not exclusively individual made. The base manifests the planned collective labour of men and women under a social frame work. In the base people fight for survival and so become conscious of its nature in their minds. This awareness constitute the are of superstructure.