In the Marxian world, the all-important class structure is dictated by the nature and ownership of the means of production. Like virtually every Marxist idea, this one hasn’t worn well over time, largely because:
- The classical and feudal worlds were very different places, but the means of production didn’t change much over that time. The transition from the one to the other was driven by forces other than technological change and corresponding changes to the class system.
- Marx was overly impressed by industrial machines and factories, and did not pay enough attention to the rest of the 19th century economy.
- In an economy largely dominated by services and intellectual property, a development that Marx didn’t foresee, the means of production is typically a laptop computer. Virtually everyone in this country has access to one of those. As a result, if the analysis ever made any sense, it doesn’t in today’s world.