- "Historical materialism is Karl Marx's theory of history."
A Marxist theory of history that posits that socioeconomic factors determine the development of human society.
Dialectical Materialism: The philosophical framework that lies at the heart of Historical Materialism, which emphasizes the role of contradictions in driving historical change.
Karl Marx: The founder of Historical Materialism, whose work laid the foundation for much of modern social, political, and economic theory.
Economic Determinism: The idea that economic forces are the primary determinant of historical change.
Class Struggle: The central concept of Historical Materialism, which holds that social and economic conflict between different classes drives historical change.
Base and Superstructure: The theory that social and cultural institutions (the "superstructure") are shaped by the underlying economic conditions (the "base").
Mode of Production: The specific economic system and social relations that characterize a given historical period.
Surplus Value: The extra value that workers produce beyond their own wages, which Marx argued is exploited by capitalists in the process of profit-making.
Alienation: The condition of feeling disconnected from one's own labor, products, and fellow human beings, which Marx saw as a result of the capitalist mode of production.
Hegemony: The domination of one social group over others through cultural, ideological, and political means.
Historical Materialist Analysis: The application of Historical Materialist theory to the study of specific historical periods and phenomena, such as the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, or contemporary neoliberalism.
Classic Marxism: This is the Marxism of Marx and Engels, which posits that history is driven by class struggle and that the means of production shape economic relations between people. The aim of this historical materialism is the eventual establishment of a classless society.
Orthodox Marxism: This is a political and theoretical viewpoint that became dominant within communist movements, particularly in the Soviet Union. It places a high emphasis on the working class and proletarian revolution, and emphasizes the role of the Communist Party in guiding social change.
Neo-Marxism: This version of historical materialism builds on the ideas of classic Marxism, but emphasizes the importance of culture, ideology, and power in shaping historical events. Neo-Marxism also emphasizes the struggle against inequality within capitalist societies.
Cultural Marxism: This is a term used more frequently by critics of Marxist ideas rather than proponents of them. It refers to Marxist critiques of culture rather than material aspects, and specifically critiques cultural traditions and norms of society that help to uphold existing power structures.
Analytical Marxism: This approach is characterized by its attention to logic, philosophy, and economic theory. It seeks to refine the Marxist concept of historical materialism by using formal analytical methods of reasoning.
Structural Marxism: This approach focuses on the structures of a capitalist society and the way that these structures reproduce the class system. Structural Marxism looks at social, political, and economic factors that help to solidify power dynamics.
Post-Marxism: This approach looks beyond traditional Marxist ideologies, and applies Marxist thought and analysis to non-economic factors such as race, gender, and sexuality. Post-Marxism also questions the idea of an objective historical materialism and seeks to offer a broader perspective on social and political change.
British Cultural Marxism: This approach, originating in the UK in the 1970s, emphasizes the role of cultural norms and values in shaping political relations. It sees these norms as being shaped by the dominant ideology of the time.
Marxist Feminism: This approach combines Marxist analysis of economic factors and their impact on social organization with feminist principles that focus on the impact of gender on society. Marxist feminism seeks to understand how capitalism and patriarchy intersect to shape the oppression of women.
Autonomist Marxism: This approach began in Italy in the 1960s and focuses on the ability of working-class people to self-organize and create social change without relying on traditional institutions such as government or unions. Autonomist Marxism seeks to empower people to work for social change while bridging the gap between theory and practice.
Environmental Marxism: This approach looks specifically at the role of ecological factors in shaping society and political relations. It argues that capitalist exploitation of natural resources leads to environmental degradation and climate change, and seeks to understand how economic systems can be reshaped to protect the environment.
World-Systems Theory: This approach focuses on global economic and social structures, and the way that they shape historical change. World-Systems Theory looks at global capitalism as a whole, linking economic and social injustice around the world.
- "Marx locates historical change in the rise of class societies and the way humans labor together to make their livelihoods."
- "The ultimate cause and moving power of historical events are to be found in the economic development of society and the social and political upheavals wrought by changes to the mode of production."
- "Although Marx never brought together a formal or comprehensive description of historical materialism in one published work..."
- "...his lifetime collaborator, Friedrich Engels..."
- "...his key ideas are woven into a variety of works from the 1840s onward."
- "Since Marx's time, the theory has been modified and expanded."
- "It now has many Marxist and non-Marxist variants."
- "Historical materialism is Karl Marx's theory of history."
- "the social and political upheavals wrought by changes to the mode of production."
- "...his lifetime collaborator, Friedrich Engels..."
- "Marx locates historical change in the rise of class societies and the way humans labor together to make their livelihoods."
- "Although Marx never brought together a formal or comprehensive description of historical materialism in one published work..."
- "...from the 1840s onward."
- "Since Marx's time, the theory has been modified and expanded."
- "It now has many Marxist and non-Marxist variants."
- "Marx and his lifetime collaborator, Friedrich Engels..."
- "the economic development of society and the social and political upheavals wrought by changes to the mode of production."
- "...woven into a variety of works from the 1840s onward."
- "It now has many Marxist and non-Marxist variants."