Marriage

Marriage

Introduction and definition:

Marriage is one of the universal social institutions established to control and regulate the life of mankind. It is closely associated with the institution of family.Infact both the institutions are complementary to each other. It is an institution with different implications in different cultures. Its purposes, functions and forms may differ from society to society but it is present everywhere as an institution. The definition of marriage varies according to different cultures, but is usually an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged.  Westermarck in 'History of Human marriage' defines marriage as the more or less durable connection between male and female lasting beyond the mere act of propagation till after the birth of offspring. According to Malinowski marriage is a contract for the production and maintenance of children. Robert Lowie describes marriage as a relatively permanent bond between permissible mates. For Horton and Hunt marriage is the approved social pattern whereby two or more persons establish a family. Alfred McClung Lee writes, "marriage is the public joining together, under socially specified regulations of a man and woman as husband and wife".

Type of Marriages

Types of marriage on the basis of numbers

Polygyny:

It is a form of marriage in which one man marries more than one woman at a given time.

Polyandry:

It is the marriage of one woman with more than one man. It is less common than polygyny.

Monogamy:

It is a form of marriage in which one man marries one woman .It is the most common and acceptable form of marriage..

Group Marriage:

It means the marriage of two or more women with two or more men. Here the husbands are common husbands and wives are common wives. Children are regarded as the children of the entire group as a whole.
Types of marriage on the basis of social norms:
Endogamous - A marriage within the boundaries of the domestic group, between members of the same group.

Exogamous - A marriage outside of the domestic group, between members of different groups.

Sororate marriage - A marriage in which a man marries his wife's sister, usually after the wife is dead or has proved infertile.

Levirate marriage - A marriage in which a woman marries one of her husband's brothers after her husband's death, if there were no children, in order to continue his line.

Modern and western marriage:

Same-sex marriage  - A marriage between two people who are of the same sex.

Love marriage - A marriage where the basis for the marriage is love.

Trial marriage - A situation were the couples agree to stay together without formalising or legalising the relationship as they wait to see whether it is going to work out.

Types of marriage according to Hindu Religion:

The Hindu community has been giving great importance for marriage since time immemorial. There are different forms of marriage –

Brahma Vivaha is where a father marries his daughter to a learned man of good moral character.

Asura Vivaha is marriage by paying bride price.

Rakshasa Vivaha is by capture or abduction without obtaining the consent of a girl or her parents.

Gandharva Vivaha is based on mutual love.

Prajapatya Vivaha is where no ceremony is performed but the groom is honoured.

Characteristics of Marriage:
Marriage is more or less a universal institution. It is found among the preliterate as well as literate peoples. It is enforced as a social rule in some of the societies.For example, Japan, celibacy is publically condemned. In Korea, the unmarried individuals are called 'half' persons. Among the Hindus, marriage is a sacrement which regarded as more or les obligatory. Characteristics of marriage can be mentioned in points as follows:
1. Relationship between Man and Woman. Marriage is a union of man and woman. It indicates relationship between one or more men to one or more women. Who should marry whom? One should marry how many?- are the questions which represent social rules regarding marriage which differ significantly.
2. Marriage Bond is Enduring. Marriage indicates a long lasting bond between the husband and wife. Hence it is not coexistensive with sex life. It excludes relationships with prostitutes or any other sexual relationship which is viewed as casual and not sanctioned by custom, law or church. Marital relationship between man and woman lasts even after the sexual satisfaction is obtained. The Hindus, for example, believe that marriage is a sacred bond between the husband and wife which even the death cannot break.
3.Marriage Requires Social Approval. A union of man and woman becomes a marital bond only when the society gives its approval. When marriage is given the hallmark of social approval, it becomes a legal marriage.
4. Marriage is Associated with Some Civil or Religous Ceremony. Marriage gets its social recognition through some ceremony. This may have its own rites, rituals, customs, formalities, etc. It means marriage has to be concluded in a public and solemn manner. Sometimes it receives as a sacrement the blessings of religion. Marriage among the Hindus, for example, is regarded as a sacrement. It connected with rituals such as- Homa, Saptapadi, Panigrahana, Mangalya-Dharana, etc.
5. Marriage Creats Mutual Obligations. Marriage imposes certain rights and duties on both the husband and wife. Both are required to support each other and their children.
6. Marriage is universal.
7. Marriage does have symbolic meanings, behaviors and customs, which are distinct and unique.
8. The procedures, functions and attitudes of marriage differ as per the society and culture.
9. Family and kinship are created through marriage.
10. The fundamental biological, social and economic requirements are fulfilled by marriage.
Social significance of marriage as a social institution:
Marriage is a fundamental social institution. The social significance of marriage are mentioned below:

1.      Psychologically people get sexual satisfaction through marriage. Marriage gives continuity to child birth.

2.      Family and kinship relationship is established through marriage.

3.      Process of socialization of new born begins after marriage.

4.      Marriage provides social security.

5.      Children born after marriage get social validity and gets rights from their parents.

6.      It helps in developing mutual relationship between husband and wife in economic and other social activities.

7.      Inter caste marriage strengthens the caste ethnic relationship.

8.      Marriage creates social division of labor for male and female.

9.      The married couple feels social responsibilities and duties.

10.  It broadens social relationship, cultural exchanges, understanding among individuals and communities.

Marriage is a fundamental and gradual social process. It has social, cultural and economic significance.

Marriage as a social institution:

Marriage is one of the most ancient and important social institution. Together with the evolution of the marriage, human society is also evolving in an organized and disciplined way. Each society through social customs have instructed on what needs to be done and need not to be done after marriage. Some of the fundamental requirements like sexual intercourse, child bearing and procurement of children are fulfilled after marriage.

Marriage can be seen as a focal point of the entire societal development. It is marriage, which gathered the disorganized humans. Not only the sexual relationship between men and women and reproduction were legalized after marriage but also the socialization process also began. Thus, relying on following assumptions we can accept marriage as a social institution.

1.      Marriage has certain processes of working system.

2.      Intimate relationship with society and culture

3.      It has general objectives.

4.      The concerned agents of marriage are provided with certain rights and responsibilities.

5.      Marriage is associated in fulfilling of basic requirements of human.

6.       Marriage contributes to social development in society.

Family

Family

Introduction and definition:

The family forms the basic unit of social organization and it is difficult to imagine how human society could function without it. The family has been seen as a universal social institution an inevitable part of human society. According to Burgess and Lock the family is a group of persons united by ties of marriage, blood or adoption constituting a single household interacting with each other in their respective social role of husband and wife, mother and father, brother and sister creating a common culture.G.P Murdock defines the family as a social group characterized by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction. It includes adults of both sexes at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship and one or more children own or adopted of the sexually co-habiting adults.
Nimkoff says that family is a more or less durable association of husband and wife with or without child or of a man or woman alone with children. According to Maclver family is a group defined by sex relationships sufficiently precise and enduring to provide for the procreation and upbringing of children. Kingsley Davis describes family as a group of persons whose relations to one another are based upon consanguinity and who are therefore kin to one another. Malinowski opined that the family is the institution within which the cultural traditions of a society is handed over to a newer generation. This indispensable function could not be filled unless the relations to parents and children were relations reciprocally of authority and respect. According to Talcott Parsons families are factories which produce human personalities.

Main characteristics of family

Universality: There is no human society in which some form of the family does not appear. Malinowski writes the typical family a group consisting of mother, father and their progeny is found in all communities, savage, barbarians and civilized. The irresistible sex need, the urge for reproduction and the common economic needs have contributed to this universality.
Emotional basis: The family is grounded in emotions and sentiments. It is based on our impulses of mating, procreation, maternal devotion, fraternal love and parental care. It is built upon sentiments of love, affection, sympathy, cooperation and friendship.
Limited size: The family is smaller in size. As a primary group its size is necessarily limited. It is a smallest social unit.
Formative influence: The family welds an environment which surrounds trains and educates the child. It shapes the personality and moulds the character of its members. It emotionally conditions the child.
Nuclear position in the social structure: The family is the nucleus of all other social organizations. The whole social structure is built of family units.
Responsibility of the members: The members of the family has certain responsibilities, duties and obligations.Maclver points out that in times of crisis men may work and fight and die for their country but they toil for their families all their lives.
Social regulation: The family is guarded both by social taboos and by legal regulations. The society takes precaution to safeguard this organization from any possible breakdown.

Types and forms of the family

On the basis of marriage: Family has been classified into three major types:

                                                                                                                                                                                      ●   Polygamous or polygynous family

• Polyandrous family
• Monogamous family

On the basis of the nature of residence family can be classified into three main forms.

• Family of matrilocal residence
• Family of patrilocal residence
• Family of changing residence

On the basis of ancestry or descent family can be classified into two main types

• Matrilineal family
• Patrilineal family

On the basis of size or structure and the depth of generations family can be classified into two main types.

• Nuclear or the single unit family
• Joint family

On the basis of the nature of relations among the family members the family can be classified into two main types. 
  ●The conjugal family which consists of adult members among there exists sex relationship.

● Consanguine family which consists of members among whom there exists blood relationship- brother and sister, father and son etc

Social significance of family as an institution:

Family is a social institution, which consists of mutual cooperation, relationship, dependency, support, decision within its members. Family, as a social institution, performs various social, cultural and religious functions. The functions of family is divided into mainly four areas:

1.      Biological functions of Family

A.     Reproduction

B.     Fulfillment of sexual desire

C.     Psychological function

D.     Racial regulation

2.      Economic function of a family:

A.     Division of labor

B.     Regulation of daily economic activities

C.     Protection of wealth and determination of inheritance

3.      Socio-cultural function of family:

A.     Birth and death rituals

B.     Socialization

C.     Social control

D.     Maintenance of social status

4.      Educational function:

5.      Recreational function

6.      Health related function

7.      provision of residence

Kinship

Kinship

Introduction and definition:

Kinship is the relation by the bond of blood, marriage and includes kindred ones. It represents one of the basic social institutions. Kinship is universal and in most societies plays a significant role in the socialization of individuals and the maintenance of group solidarity. It is very important in primitive societies and extends its influence on almost all their activities. A.R Radcliffe Brown defines kinship as a system of dynamic relations between person and person in a community, the behavior of any two persons in any of these relations being regulated in some way and to a greater or less extent by social usage.
Kinship can refer both to the study of the patterns of social relationships in one or more human cultures, or it can refer to the patterns of social relationships themselves. Over its history, anthropology has developed a number of related concepts and terms, such as descent, descent groups, lineages, affines, cognates and even fictive kinship.
Broadly, kinship patterns may be considered to include people related both by descent (one's social relations during development), and also relatives by marriage. Human kinship relations through marriage are commonly called "affinity" in contrast to the relationships that arise in one's group of origin, which may be called one's "descent group". In some cultures, kinship relationships may be considered to extend out to people an individual has economic relationships with, or other forms of social connections. Within a culture, the descent groups may be considered to lead back to gods, or animal ancestors..
Kinship can also refer to a perceived universal principle or category of humans, by which we or our societies organize individuals or groups of individuals into social groups, roles, categories, and genealogy. Family relations can be represented concretely (mother, brother, grandfather) or abstractly after degrees of relationship. A relationship may have relative purchase (e.g., father is one regarding a child), or reflect an absolute (e.g., status difference between a mother and a childless woman). Degrees of relationship are not identical to heirship or legal succession. Many codes of ethics consider the bond of kinship as creating obligations between the related persons stronger than those between strangers, as in Confucian filial piety.

Every human society recognizes the existence of some kind of kinship system in the whole world. Today kinship plays a vital role in controlling individual behavior and in maintaining social cohesion. Kinship relations are based on blood ties and marriage. The relation based on blood, or marriage may be close or distant. The bond of blood or marriage which binds people together in group is called kinship.

Characteristics of Kinship:
On the basis of various analyses, characteristics of kinship relationship can be mentioned in this way as following:

1.      Kinship system prevails in each society. It is universal.

2.      Kinship system is developed through affinal and consanguinal relationship and lineage.

3.      kinship system is developed through marriage, blood relationship, fictive relationship, adopting relationship, listening religious hymns from teacher etc.

4.      use of kinship differs as per the prevailing cultural specificities of given society.

5.      kinship system focuses on who will be the successor of property.

According to Giddens, "Kinship comprises either genetic ties or ties initiated by marriage."

Types of kinship

Kinship bonds are of different types. They vary from society to society. Some types of kinship are mentioned below.
On the basis of Blood and Marriage relationship kinds are divided into (i) Consanguineous and (ii) Affinal kins (iii) others
(i) Consanguineous kins
It is based on blood relations. This type of relationship exists between parents and their children and between the children of the same parents. This kind of kinship refers to a son, daughter, sister, parental uncle, etc. This type of kinship may be actual or supposed. In a polyandrous tribe the actual father of a child is unknown. An adopted child is treated as if it were one's own biologically produced child. Thus blood relationship may be established not only on biological basis but also on the basis of social recognition.
(ii) Affinal kins
The term 'affinity' means relation by marriage. Thus Affinal kinship refers to the bond established only after marriage. Thus, marriage creates a host of relationships which are called Affinal kinship. The relationship of husband with wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law etc. is of Affinal nature.
(iii) Others:
Kinship developed by fictive relationship, adopting of children, learning of religious hymns etc can put under this. The adopted kinship cannot be undermined as the adopted child has right over the ancestral property. Fictive kinship has also played an important role in the society. If a person regards teacher after learning religious sacred hymns from other that relationship is also important in our society.
On the basis of nearness and distant relationship kins can be divided into three types - 1. Primary kin, 2. Secondary kin, and 3. Tertiary kin.
1. Primary kins
The persons who are directly and physically close to one another are called primary kin. According to S.C. Dube, there are eight such relations. They include husband-wife, father-son, father-daughter, mother-daughter, mother-son, younger-elder sisters, younger-elder brothers, and brother-sister.
2. Secondary kins
The secondary kins are those persons who are related through primary kin. Persons such as father's father, mother's father brother's daughter, father's sister, sister's husband are some of the secondary kins. The number of secondary kins came to 33 types.
3. Tertiary kins
The tertiary kins are those persons who are the primary kin of the secondary kin. The kin of this kind include the husband's brother's wife, wife's brother's wife and the like.

Social significance of Kinship system:
Kinship is taken as an important social institution in the social system, which plays a remarkable role in operation of the social cycle. It makes it possible to establish and continue social interactions among people. Kinship can be seen in any form in the society, thus can be regarded as a universal social unit of social system. Social significance of kinship system can be described as follows:

1.      A kinship system determines the status of individual and also determines the base of social relationship.

2.      Establishment of lineage, its continuation and determination of successor is possible only through kinship system

3.      It helps in exchanging cooperation, support, motivation within family and among relatives.

4.      In difficulties kinship system exchanges economic, social, cultural and other helps.

5.      It determines the roles and responsibilities of people to each other.

6.      Kinship system can be taken as a means of social integration.

History of Human Society and Culture:

History of Human Society and Culture:
Paleolithic
The first or the oldest pre-historical culture is known as Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. The word Paleolithic has come from the Greek word ‘Palaios’ meaning old and ‘lithos’ means stone. Paleolithic refers to the pre-history of mankind covering the period from the first appearance of tool using human until the emergence of Mesolithic stage. Paleolithic people lived as hunter-gatherers without agriculture and without formal pottery production. The Paleolithic has traditionally been subdivided into three successive phases, namely
1. Lower Paleolithic age
2. Middle Paleolithic age
3. Upper Paleolithic age

Lower Paleolithic age
It is the most ancient stage of human being. It is said that the Aestelopithecus was raised in this age. People in this age had hunting and gathering nature. At the very beginning they had very difficult types of weapons. But later on they discovered, Fire, which gave various shape, size and easiness to them and their weapons. Commonly they had Hand axe, Awls, Flake tools. The Lower Paleolithic people used to hunt animals like horse, dear, rabbit etc. They used to live in caves. These people used to wear ornaments of Shippy shellfish, wood, stone and of bones. They had sign language to protect themselves from their enemies. They used to take the help of fire to protect themselves from cold and from their enemies. Especially women used to look their children and men used to go for hunting foods and required things. There was no development of art, literature etc. During Lower Paleolithic period many river valleys and traces were formed. People of this period preferred to live near the water supply area.

Middle Paleolithic age
The period of cultural history associated with Neanderthal is traditionally called the Middle Paleolithic in Europe and the Near East and dates from about 300,000 years ago to about 40,000 years ago. For Africa, the term Middle Stone Age is used instead of Middle Paleolithic. More technologically advanced tools appear in the Middle Paleolithic, with a developing aesthetic and religious awareness. Most of the excavated Paleolithic homosities in Europe and the Near East are located in caves and rock shelters. Quite a few home sites of early Homo sapiens were in the open. The hunters probably moved away in the summer to higher land between the river valleys. In Europe they used to depend on oxen, horses, rhinoceroses and deer, as well as bears, wolves and foxed for their food. African was mostly depended upon buffaloes and eland and also on shellfish.

Upper Paleolithic age
Middle Paleolithic age disappear in Africa and Southwestern Asia by 40,000 years ago at the latest and in Europe after about 35,000 years ago. Upper Paleolithic age replaced it. The last part of the Stone Age gave rise to the Upper Paleolithic culture, which covers approximately 1/10th of the time span of entire Paleolithic period. During this period the prehistoric man made his greatest cultural progress. This period shows diversified and specialized tools made on blades by replacement of the hand axes and flake tools of earlier cultures. During this period bone was also taken as a material for making tools. Early man of primitive types disappeared at this cultural stage and the man of modern type came into existence. This cultural stage also shows the beginning and flowering of the Paleolithic art. Upper Paleolithic peoples made many different stone tools as well as tools and ornaments out of bare, ivory, and antler; composite tools such as spears and arrows; and clothing from animal fur. Artistic expression, in the form of cave paintings and personal ornaments, is the most striking evidence in the upper Paleolithic for the modern human capacity for culture. The subjects of paintings are mostly animals. Upper Paleolithic peoples seem to have been more numerous and more widespread than previous peoples, surely because of a modern capacity for culture. Skeletons from this period show few signs of injury or disease. Upper Paleolithic people apparently participated in widespread trading networks. Life styles during the Upper Paleolithic were similar to life styles before. People were still mainly hunters and gatherers and fishers who probably lived in highly mobile bands. They made their camps out in the open and in caves and rock shelters. And they continued to produce smaller and smaller stone tools. But the Upper Paleolithic is also characterized by a variety of new developments. Most of the Upper Paleolithic people used to live in caves and rock-shelters. The settlement seems to have consisted of four ten like huts, probably made from animal skins, with a great open hearth in the centre. The bow and arrow was also used in various places during the upper Paleolithic. The faces and structure of these period men was very much developed. They are named as Homo sapiens. They were very near to the modern man. After the arrival of this age there came great progress in the field of weapons. So, some says this age to be prehistoric industrial revolutionary age.

Mesolithic Age
Mesolithic Age is said to be the bridge between Paleolithic Age and Neolithic Age. After the completion of Stone Age, this age came into existence. The culture of this age people seems to be much rich. Weapons were also found to be of various shapes, sizes and to the need. They used to make weapons not only of stones but also of woods. People used to hunt animals like dear, rabbit etc. Similarly they used to collect and gather food grains and various vegetarian foods from jungle. They started doing pastorals. At first they started keeping wild animals like dog, cat, dear etc and later on pig, sheep, horse, goat, buffaloes etc. But they could not do agriculture. Mesolithic people started cooking their foods. At their latter period they started setting for long period in particular places. They used to do painting and used to make clay pots. They used to dig dead bodies. The main contribution of this age to society is that it dropped out many of the technologies that existed during Paleolithic and developed new ones to give rise to the Neolithic culture. Mesolithic was a brief period in comparison to Paleolithic. It was a less distinctive period for the use of stone. The Upper Paleolithic economy of food gathering persisted in Mesolithic but fishing collecting were added. Similarly the base of farming was prepared during this period. Thus, Mesolithic stood as a well-defined stage of terminal food gathering. Mesolithic people had little material culture. They also acquired a few items of material culture like pothery, metal tools and stone beads for ornaments. They used to bury the dead bodies within the habitation area.

Neolithic
Neolithic is a Greek word, which means ‘New Stone’. The period since the discovery of agriculture to the raise of urban civilization has been known as Neolithic Age. This Age lasted approximately from 8000 BC to 3000 BC. Twentieth century Anthropologists define Neolithic Age in terms of domesticated plants and animals. Man was no longer a food gather, he becomes a food producer. Neolithic Age has great importance. It is the age, which gave birth to agriculture, people started to settle in one place, pasturualism got great progress, and new and modern weapons were made. Clothes, pots, political and religious development took place. This age was the death of Stone Age. People started believing in gods and demons. Kinship thinking developed. Society started to be formed. Labor Division in society started. Family relation started to be strong, male domination started, Village started turning to towns. Industrial and religious, political organization were formed. Literature and science started to flourish. Irrigation started. Neolithic Age gave rise to agriculture and sitting life. Concept of private property and various ritual practices were aroused. Neolithic way of life was vastly superior to the Paleolithic. While culture of Paleolithic was carried forward with a greater span of time, Neolithic culture advanced very quickly within a period of a few thousand years. Neolithic age gave birth to a state of culture in which food was planted and breed instead of hunted and gathered. The practice of fishing was improved during Neolithic period. The bows and arrows were widely used in hunting as well as in war. The most remarkable findings of Neolithic deposits are the skillfully made arrowheads and Celts. As a consequence of food-production, population growth was accelerated during Neolithic period. People had settled down in villages and tried to invest certain ways to make the life easier. The important developments that took place in Neolithic are:
1. Invention of pottery.
2. Beginning of Religion.
3. Building of houses.

 4. Development of Art..

5. Development of Language.

6. Beginning of the art of weaving

7. Manufacture of boats

8. Development of social organization

MODE OF PRODUCTION

Definition: The mode of production is a central concept in Marxism and is defined as the way a society is organized to produce goods and services. It consists of two major aspects: the forces of production and the relations of production.

The forces of production include all of the elements that are brought together in production – from land, raw material, and fuel to human skill and labor to machinery, tools, and factories. The relations of production include relationships among people and people’s relationships to the forces of production through which decisions are made about what to do with the results

Communal mode of production:

Communal mode of production is that kind of production system where equal ownership of each people of community in the resources and means of production and its potential achievements of those resources is expected.

Characteristics of communal mode of production system are mentioned as follows:

1.      This mode of production assumes social equality.

2.      Communal ownership in the means of production.

3.      Kin based relationship exists and kin based groups exists.

4.      Communal production system is fishing and agriculture.

5.      This communal mode of production mostly found in hunting and gathering societies.

Slavery mode of production:

Slavery mode of production system is such type of production system where some people control over other people’s labor and use for their own sake.

Following are the characteristics of slavery mode of production:

1.      Slaves as the private property of slave owner which helped purchasing slaves as materials.

2.      As slave owners have unlimited rights, it promoted the exploitation, violence and domination against slavery

3.      Defining slaves by birth. Hence slavery got institutional legacy.

4.      Role and participation of slaves in each production process is major.

5.      Society is stratified into slaves and slave owners.

Feudal Mode of production:

The feudal mode of production is usually typified by the systems of the West between the fall of the classical European culture and the rise of capitalism, though similar systems existed in most of the earth. The primary form of property is the possession of land in reciprocal contract relations: the possession of human beings as peasants or serfs is dependent upon their being entailed upon the land. Exploitation occurs through reciprocated contract (though ultimately resting on the threat of forced extractions). The ruling class is usually a nobility or aristocracy. The primary forces of production include highly complex agriculture (two, three field, lucerne fallowing and manuring) with the addition of non-human and non-animal power devices (clockwork, wind-mills) and the intensification of specialization in the crafts—craftsmen exclusively producing one specialized class of product.
Characteristics of feudal mode of production can be mentioned briefly as follows:

1.      Basically two classes, slave and landowner emerged in society.

2.      Agriculture was the core of production. Animal husbandry was emphasized in the society.

3.      Unequal social system exists. Concept like ‘feudal are superior by birth’ are developed.

4.      Domination of feudal landlords exists in society.

5.      Significant portion of production is spent on unnecessary activities.

Capitalist mode of production

In Marx's critique of political economy, the capitalist mode of production is the production system of capitalist societies, which began in Europe in the 16th century, grew rapidly in Western Europe from the end of the 18th century, and later extended to most of the world. It is characterized by: the predominance of private ownership of the means of production and exploitation of wage labour; distribution and exchange in a mainly market economy and capital accumulation.
Characteristics of  the capitalist mode of production

• Both the inputs and outputs of production are mainly privately owned, priced goods and services purchased in the market.
• Production is carried out for exchange and circulation in the market, aiming to obtain a net profit income from it.
• The owners of the means of production (capitalists) are the dominant class  who derive their income from the surplus product produced by the workers and appropriated freely by the capitalists.
• A defining feature of capitalism is the dependency on wage-labor for a large segment of the population; specifically, the working class (proletariat) do not own capital and must live by selling their labour power in exchange for a wage.

The capitalist mode of production may exist within societies with differing state systems (e.g. liberal democracy, Social democracy, fascism, Communist state, Czarism), and different social structures such as tribalism, the caste system, peasant society, and urban industrial society. Although capitalism has existed in the form of merchant activity, banking, renting land, and small-scale manufactures in previous stages of history, it was usually a relatively minor activity and secondary to the dominant forms of social organization and production; the prevailing property system kept commerce within clear limits.

Socialist mode of production:
Social and economic development, in this mode of production has come to the climax. New, appropriate and effective technology led the production process into a great leap forward. Ownership of entire means of production happens to be public and these are mobilized as per the central level planning. Industries are the principle bases of economic development of society.
Characteristics of socialist mode of production are as follows:

1.      There happens to be a collective ownership in mode of production.

2.      Assumed that the entire inequalities between rich and poor ended.

3.      Each of the entrances of private properties is closed as production process is operated through central planning.

4.      Class conflict is less likely to appear as emphasis is given to social welfare and equality.

5.      None of the social, cultural, economic discriminations prevail.