The major contradictions which propel change are found in the economic infrastructure of society. At the drawn of human history, when man supposedly lived in a state of primitive communism, there were no conflicts of interest between individuals and groups. However, with the emergence of private property, and in particular, private ownership of the forces of production, the fundamental contradiction of human society was created.
Through its ownership of the forces of production, a minority is able to control command and enjoy the fruits of the labour of the majority. Since one group gains at the expense of the other, a conflict of interest exists between the minority who own the forces of production and the majority who perform productive labour. The tension and conflict generated by this contradiction is the major dynamic of social change.