What did Karl Marx mean by relations of production?

In the philosophy of Karl Marx, the term relations of production refers to the social structures and the division of labour through which human beings organize the extraction and processing of raw materials.1

Marx argued that material production is the foundation of all human activity, requiring both "forces of production" (tools and raw materials) and these specific social relations. As technology and knowledge evolve, these relations shift, defining how individuals interact with the means of production and with each other.1

Under industrial capitalism, for example, the relations of production are characterized by a divide between the bourgeoisie, who own the means of production, and the proletariat, who must sell their labor to survive. Marx viewed this dynamic as a fundamental class struggle, where the worker is reduced to an "appendage of the machine" within a system that prioritizes capital over human independence.1