How did Marx connect a society’s economic structure to its laws, politics, and religion?

In the philosophy of history, Karl Marx posited that a society’s economic structure serves as the "real foundation" or base upon which its laws, politics, and religion—collectively termed the "superstructure"—are built.12

Marx argued that the way humans organize their material production determines the general character of their social, political, and intellectual life. This relationship is summarized by his assertion that it is not the consciousness of individuals that determines their existence, but rather their social existence that determines their consciousness.12

The connection functions as follows:
* Economic Base: This includes the "material forces of production" (labor and means of production) and the "relations of production" (the social and political arrangements that regulate production and distribution).1
* Superstructure: Legal, political, and religious institutions arise from this base to reflect and justify the existing economic order.31
* Ideology: Marx believed that the "ruling ideas" of any epoch are those of the ruling class, which use these institutions to legitimize their power and mask the exploitation inherent in the economic system. For instance, he famously described religion as the "opium of the people," serving to dull critical awareness of social conditions.4