Productive forces, productive powers, or forces of production (German: Produktivkräfte) is a central idea in Marxism and historical materialism which refers to the means of labor. (tools, machinery, infrastructure, etc.)
Modern uses
While the definition of productive forces hasn't changed, it's become a popular term in recent decades as the People's Republic of China (PRC) has been emphasizing increasing their economy's productive forces in order to advance to higher stages of socialism, and eventually to the lofty ideal of communism, where there is immense material abundance.
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping, the former leader of China, wrote about the productive forces, writing about how the implementation of market socialism would help China to liberate and develop its productive forces.[1]