Historical Materialism: Definition and Summary

In this lesson from a TEACHER, we explain what historical materialism consists of, with a definition of the term and a brief summary that will help you understand one of Karl Marx's main contributions to the history of philosophy, who together with Friedrich Engels, intends to discover the laws of evolution in the history of philosophy. humanity. Historical materialism consists of an inversion of the Hegelian dialectic applied to history in order to understand it in its entirety. If you want to know more about historical materialism, continue reading this lesson: historical materialism: definition and summary.

The historical materialism it's a philosophical, political and economic system, developed by Karl Marx, that, contrary to any idealistic conception, analyzes the development and evolution of the history of the human being, starting from the conditions materials of the same, studying the different modes of production and the changes that have occurred in society since its Constitution. The term was coined by Georgy Plekhanov and was used for the first time by Marx and Engels to explain their doctrine in the unpublished book

German ideology.

For Marx, it is not ideas that determine changes in society, but modes of production and class difference. Social transformations are a consequence of the productive activity of the human being, which will condition both the political, social and spiritual levels.

Thus, society is based on the production of material goods necessary for the subsistence of human beings, but also so that society itself can exist. The human being is conceived as an animal that produces instruments, as a work force, and thanks to the technique it transforms nature at will, as if it were just another instrument.

The dominance of the human being over nature advances along with the productive forces of society, which generate changes in the modes of production and transforming the relations of production.

Work and social relationships derived from it, are essential in the human being, and the foundation of every society is the constant opposition that occurs within it, the conflict between the production relations and the productive forces, the difference of classes. The end of the class struggle can only end with classes.

... I do not have the credit of having discovered the existence of classes in modern society or the struggle between them. Long before me, some bourgeois historians had already exposed the historical development of this class struggle and some bourgeois economists the economic anatomy of these. What I have contributed again has been to demonstrate: 1) that the existence of classes is only linked to certain historical phases of development of production; 2) that the class struggle necessarily leads to the dictatorship of the proletariat; 3) that this dictatorship itself is nothing more than the transition towards the abolition of all classes and towards a classless society ...Letter to Joseph Weydemeyer, March 5, 1852.

Marx was able to find the laws governing the evolution of history and of society, which changes based on the dominant mode of production at that time, which with a new transformation, will give rise to a new social order. The relationship between the productive forces and the forces of production would therefore be the foundation of the social order.

The capitalist mode of production rests on the private ownership of the means of production, in the hands of a few, which will determine the division of society into two classes in constant struggle: the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. The latter is the one that controls the means of production and social relations.

In the capitalist society, the means of production belong to the bourgeoisie and only it has the right to private property over them. Because of this, the proletariat is forced to work for the ruling class, because it needs its labor power and the production of material goods in order to survive. Thus, the capital becomes the main means of production, and not work, which becomes alien to the worker, strange, that is, the human being isalienated, and this happens at different levels and not only at work, but is also alienated with respect to the product of his work, in front of the rest of the workers, in front of nature and in front of himself same. In exchange for his work, he receives a small economic compensation, necessary to subsist and continue producing, and the capitalist keeps the rest. This is what is known as capital gains.

The solution to this situation, the end of the class struggle, will occur with the arrival of communism, a regime that is characterized by having modes of production based on social ownership of the means of production, collaboration and reciprocity, and it is precisely the social character of the means of production that ensures the relations of production. "De each according to his work, each according to his abilities".

The modes of production They are the form of economic organization of society, that is, based on the production of material goods. The productive forces are constituted by the labor force and the means of production, fostered by technology and nature. The relations of production would be social relations, such as property, power, laws, forms of cooperation and association, relationships between people and nature or the difference of lessons.

The different stages that have occurred throughout history are nothing more than transformations in the modes of production. Thus, we have:

1. Regime of primitive communism
2. Slave regime
3. Feudal regime
4. Capitalist regime
5. Socialist regime (as the first expression of communism)