In the middle of the 19th century, a completely new philosophical doctrine appeared, created by Karl Marx and subsequently called “Marxism”. The essence of the teachings was interpreted differently by various political movements and parties.
For a long time, Marxism was the leading ideology in the Soviet Union and determined the worldview of millions of people.
The materialist understanding of history, like the whole philosophy of Marx, is based on the idea of a material understanding of the world, which consists in the fact that the world is matter and laws that govern its movement.
From this point of view, the historical process and its impact on people's lives are considered.
As part of his approach, Marx proves that material production is the main condition determining most historical processes . The main idea on which Karl Marx's philosophy is based, including his understanding of history, is the assertion that humanity as a whole creates historical conditions that are the source of its development. No other factors, including particular geographical location and climate, can be the cause of the historical development of peoples.
Marx assigned the main role in the development of mankind to the productive forces.
The materialist understanding of history is based on the fact that a person, in the understanding of Marx, has a material nature and develops, mastering new means to satisfy his needs.
Social being, according to Marx, is the only reality of human life. The basis of social life is economic relations. Man, from this point of view, embodies social relations. They are the basis for the formation of social and individual consciousness.
That is why the development of man in the historical sense is due to the struggle of opposites. The class struggle is a definite engine directing development.
In the course of historical development, Marx distinguishes several periods (or formations), on the basis of the concept of the level of development of productive forces, which become more perfect than production relations, as a result of which revolutions arise, and formations change.
Marx saw the communist revolution as a means of liberation from classes and an exit to a new level of human existence.
Marxism in economics and in history pays special attention to the means of production. One of the most important concepts in the philosophy of Marx is the concept of productive forces. They determine the relationship of man to nature, to society, and are also a source of development.
The productive forces of each formation have new properties. So the slave is different from the serf, and the wage worker from the working people of a socialist society.
In the course of production, people enter into a special kind of relationship that everyone else determines, and are the cause of crises leading to the transition to the next level of development.
Thus, the materialistic understanding of history was based on concepts such as production relations and productive forces. Marx, unlike idealists, considered history, proceeding from the economic basis of society, from people searching for new, more convenient or profitable ways of satisfying their needs.
The philosophy of Marx is a huge and clearly built system of scientific knowledge about politics, economics and man. A materialistic understanding of history is still crucial for understanding the essence of historical development, since there are few theories that could explain the course of history in as much detail and thoroughly.
The philosophy of K. Marx is a holistic system, which largely determined the development of our country and its current position in the world.