These contradictions are, in fact, created by the system, three, given one and two, the certainty of drastic and violent change of the system." (Cuff, E, Sharrock, W, Francis, W. 1990) .
Changes within society occur because the mode of production changes, and no longer works in the current social organisation. This leads to the emergence of a new class and hence a new form of society is created. Alex Law describes how Marx talks about each type of society in terms of different "modes of production", "defined by the social relations between classes of producers and non-producers: first, primitive communal or tribal society, second, ancient society based on slave ownership, third feudal landownership based on enserfed small peasant producers, and, most recently, capitalism, based on the separation of wage workers from the means of production." (2001. Pg4) .
"Capital is privately owned by a minority, the capitalist class. In Marx's view, however, this capital is gained from the exploitation of the mass of the population, the working class." (Law, A. 2001).
Capitalism developed from the struggle between the feudal aristocracy and the emerging capitalist class, both groups in numerical terms forming a minority of the population. Capitalism involved the replacing of privately owned land and an agricultural economy by privately owned capital and an industrial class. Marx believed that religion could only hinder the development of a Capitalist society. One of his reasons for this is because religion teaches people to resign and accept their living conditions. .
Division of labour occurred with the emergence of Capitalism. Marx saw this division as having only one possible outcome, which was creating the formation of hostile and conflicting classes. "These classes are distinguished by their access, or lack thereof, to the means of production and consequently, their level of power.