The Integration of the Materialist View of History with Workers’ Movements and the Analysis of History and Structure of Capitalist Society
摘要
This chapter primarily explores the integration of the materialist view of history with the workers’ movement, as well as Marx’s profound analysis of the history and structure of capitalist society. The materialist view of history is not only the core idea of The Communist Manifesto but also the key to understanding the history of class societies. By critiquing the idealist historical views of Proudhon, Heinzen, and others, Marx clarifies that the fundamental driving force of social development lies in the contradiction between productive forces and production relations, with class struggle serving as the direct force propelling history forward. First, Marx emphasizes that society is an organic whole whose development is constrained by the mode of production. Second, Marx refutes idealist historical views that use abstract theories of human nature or moral concepts as the yardstick for evaluating history. Third, Marx conducts an in-depth analysis of class relations in capitalist society, pointing out that the antagonism between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat stems from contradictions in production relations. Finally, in The Communist Manifesto, he applies the materialist view of history to reveal the historical laws of class struggle, arguing that the proletariat must seize political power through revolution, ultimately abolishing classes and achieving communism. The materialist view of history provides a scientific method for understanding history and reality, while The Communist Manifesto is an outstanding application of this theory, remaining to this day a guiding framework for analyzing social transformation.