Criticizing the wrong conception concerning the process of history in general and the idealist conception of post-Hegelians in Germany in particular, Marx made the following observations on caste in "The German Ideology":
"When the crude form of the division of labour which is to be found among the Indians, and Egyptians calls forth the caste-system in their state and religion, the historian believes that the caste-system is the power which has produced this crude social form." (Moscow edition 176, p. 63)
This is a question of whether division of labour gave rise to castes or castes gave rise to division of labour. According to Marx, division of labour is primary. The same formed into caste occupations in the subsequent period. While this was the situation, historians assumed castes as primary and they gave rise to division of labour. Hence, Marx criticized such historians.
How could castes emerge in the society in the beginning? If they emerged so, there must be some cause. If there were a cause, such cause would be the fundamental point.
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