马克思以前的理论家对生产关系的内涵都从不同方面进行过阐述，但都没有抓住问题的实质。马克思在前人的思想理论基础上，通过对资本主义社会诸种关系的分析，从一般的物质交往关系中揭示出生产关系的基本内涵，即具体的、发展到一定历史阶段的物质关系，它所表示的所有制和分配关系以及由它们所制约的人们之间相互关系的总和，是决定其它一切社会关系的关系。生产关系概念的形成为完整的唯物主义历史观奠定了基础。 Former Marxists elaborated on the connotation of the relations of production from different aspects but failed to grasp the essence of the issue. Based on the theories of predecessors, Marx analyzed the various relations in capitalist society and revealed the basic connotation of the relations of production from the general relations of material exchanges, that is, the specific and historical material relations that have developed to a certain historical stage. The sum of ownership and distribution and the interrelationship between the people they constrain determines the relationship of all other social relations. The formation of the concept of relations of production lays the foundation for a complete historical view of materialism.