What material conditions influence (determine) “culture”?

Here's a definition of culture from Wikipedia:

Culture has been understood as a flux of phenomenon that has presuppositions and foundations from their hunter-gathering and nomadic traditions to cultivation.

Dictionary.com has an interesting definition (#5)"

the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group: the youth culture; the drug culture.

Many of the presuppositions that we have about our culture come from our economic position.  For instance, preservation of the culture is often the concern of the upper class since it serves their needs very well; on the other hand, the lowest classes may not have the same attachment to culture becuase it does not serve their economic needs as well.  As has been noted, this is something that Karl Marx wrote about.  He thought that the conflict between these two "cultures" in one society, would inevitably lead to revolution, and it often has.  In many countries, however, the middle class has served as a buffer between the 2 classes, although this is not its main purpose.  The middle class, while not having all the cultural advantages of the upper class, is a lot better off than the lower class, and, in theory at least, entry into it is available to members of the lower class given enough education, work, etc.  And since the middle class has a serious stake in the maintenance of the status quo culture, they will defend it against threats from the lower class.

Its difficult to get a class to buy into a culture if they spend all their time worrying about their next meal.  There's is an interesting discussion of this in "The Legend of the Grand Inquisitor."  The Inquisitor notes that hungry people have no free will, and without free will there can be no interest in culture.