Video The Marxist view of history historical materialism
Core Argument¶
The central thesis is that historical materialism provides the only scientific method for understanding history as a coherent, law-governed process, rather than as a series of accidents or the product of individual will. The article argues that the motor force of historical development is the contradiction between the growth of humanity's productive forces and the social relations of production within which that growth occurs — a contradiction that manifests politically as class struggle. It claims that only by grasping these objective laws can the working class consciously intervene to transform society, rather than being passively shaped by forces it does not understand.
Theoretical Grounding¶
The analysis is rooted in the classical Marxist tradition as developed by Marx and Engels, drawing on the core concepts of The German Ideology, the Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, and The Communist Manifesto. It deploys the base-superstructure model — the distinction between the economic foundation of society (the forces and relations of production) and the political, legal, and ideological forms that arise upon it. The argument positions itself against two rival conceptions of history: the "Great Man" theory of history (associated with Carlyle and liberal historiography) and the postmodern rejection of grand narratives (associated with Foucault and Lyotard). In doing so, it reaffirms the orthodox Marxist claim that history is neither random nor the product of heroic individuals, but proceeds according to discoverable material laws.
Conjunctural Relevance¶
Although the article is a general exposition rather than a conjunctural analysis, its relevance to the current moment is implicit. The 2018 "Marx in a Day" event was timed to Marx's bicentenary, itself a moment of renewed interest in Marxist ideas following the 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent decade of stagnation, austerity, and political instability. The article's insistence on the scientific character of historical materialism speaks directly to the disorientation of the post-2008 left, much of which has retreated into moralism, identity politics, or reformist illusions. By reasserting that history has a direction and that capitalism is not eternal, the article provides a theoretical foundation for revolutionary politics in an era of deepening crisis — rising inequality, the breakdown of neoliberal consensus, the resurgence of geopolitical rivalry, and the exhaustion of social democratic alternatives.
Where the Argument Continues¶
This article is an introductory exposition and does not develop the more advanced implications of historical materialism. The argument continues in several directions across the IDOM corpus:
- On the law of value and the tendency of the rate of profit to fall: see Alan Woods, The Law of Value and the Tendency of the Rate of Profit to Fall (marxist.com).
- On the application of historical materialism to specific historical periods: see the series The Marxist View of History by Alan Woods, which covers the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the rise of the bourgeois revolutions, and the epoch of imperialism.
- On the critique of postmodernism and its rejection of historical laws: see Postmodernism and the Denial of History by Josh Holroyd (marxist.com).
- On the relationship between base and superstructure in the current conjuncture: see The State and Revolution by Lenin, and IDOM's ongoing analysis of the state in the 21st century.
Connections¶
This article should be read alongside:
- Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto — the classic statement of the class struggle as the motor of history.
- Marx, Preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy — the most concise formulation of the base-superstructure model.
- Engels, Socialism: Utopian and Scientific — the popular exposition of historical materialism as a science.
- Trotsky, The History of the Russian Revolution — the most accomplished application of historical materialism to a concrete revolutionary event.
- Alan Woods, The History of Philosophy: A Marxist Perspective — a demonstration of how historical materialism illuminates the development of ideas.
Key Quotes¶
"Marx and Engels provided the first real materialist analysis of how history develops, explaining that the motor force behind society's evolution is the class struggle and the drive to increase the humankind's productive forces."
"The Marxist view of history is that history is not just a series of accidents, nor is it the product of 'Great Men'. It is a law-governed process that can be understood scientifically."
"It is only by understanding the forces and factors that drive history — and, ultimately, our lives — that we can hope to change the world around us and realise a revolutionary socialist alternative."
"The contradiction between the growth of the productive forces and the relations of production is the fundamental contradiction that drives history forward."
"The ruling ideas of any epoch are the ideas of the ruling class. But when the productive forces come into conflict with the existing relations of production, the old ideas are swept aside and new ones emerge."
"Socialism is not a moral choice. It is the necessary outcome of the contradictions of capitalism. The task of Marxists is to make the working class conscious of this necessity."