How did Karl Marx connect economic structures to political and legal institutions?

Karl Marx connected economic structures to political and legal institutions through his theory of historical materialism. He posited that the economic structure of society—comprising the material forces of production and the relations of production—serves as the real foundation upon which a legal and political superstructure rises.1

According to Marx, the mode of production in material life determines the general character of social, political, and intellectual processes. In this framework:1

• Economic Base: The foundation consists of the labor, means of production, and the social arrangements that regulate production and distribution.1
• Superstructure: Legal and political institutions, along with forms of social consciousness, constitute the superstructure that corresponds to the economic base.12

Marx argued that it is not human consciousness that determines existence, but rather social existence that determines consciousness. Through these ideological forms, individuals become aware of the conflicts within the economic structure, such as the tension between material forces and existing property relations. Consequently, political and legal relations are viewed as dependent on the underlying material production of society.1