Historical materialism: Marx is well known for his materialist conception of history as a succession of different modes of production. What is a mode of production? What does Marx have to say about...

Historical materialism: Marx is well known for his materialist conception of history as a succession of different modes of production. What is a mode of production? What does Marx have to say about the forces and relations of production? Why is Marx’s conception of history called a materialist conception of history?