Historical Materialism: Understanding Marxist Theory

Historical Materialism

Marx conceives of natural reality as independent of humanity, its life, and its history. Marxist materialism views reality as the real dialectical process of historical production. For Marxism, history is neither a collection of dead facts (empiricism) nor the imaginary action of imaginary subjects (idealism); rather, it is the succession of different modes of production.

Throughout history, societies have been defined by a class struggle between oppressors and the oppressed. This conflict typically ends in a revolution or the collapse of the classes involved. In the nineteenth century, these conditions did not change; they merely simplified as the bourgeoisie abolished previous class structures. The sentimentality of family relationships was supplanted by money, leading to a reality where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

The difference between what a worker produces and what they are paid for their labor is defined by Marx as surplus value, which continues to increase. When this surplus becomes excessive, the oppressed class seeks to overthrow the oppressor, resulting in a revolution and the establishment of a government by the oppressed. Eventually, the new ruling class may begin to operate in the same manner as their predecessors, creating the cyclical nature of Marxist historical materialism.

Key Marxist Terminology

• Anatomy of Civil Society: The fundamental structures that constitute the basic framework of economic activities.
• Relations of Production: The relationships between the owners of the means of production and the direct producers in a specific production process.
• Productive Forces: The capacity for work or the actual production capabilities of humanity.
• Infrastructure: The material conditions of society; the real economic base.
• Superstructure: The set of ideas that shape legal and political structures, including music, culture, religion, and values.
• Contradictions: The antagonisms that arise in social life within the capitalist system, which give rise to class struggle.
• Social Classes: Groups that appear alongside private property. The basis of a civilization is the domination of one class by another. In Marx's time, these were the bourgeoisie and the proletariat.
• Surplus Value (Plusvalía): The difference between the value produced by workers through their labor and the wages paid to them.
• Class Consciousness: The reflection of social reality in human thinking. To possess class consciousness is to realize the inherent contradictions within capitalism.
• Social Revolution: The transition from one set of production relations to another, which necessitates a change in the superstructure.