GEOG 4 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Primitive Communism, Productive Forces, Fundamental Class
Document Summary
The philosophy of history of marxism is known as historical materialism. Historical materialism understood, historical materialists follow marx and engels in believing that there is progress in human history, characterized by humankind"s progressive mastery of nature, and the accumulation of technological capacities. They believe that forms of organizing work, and the political and belief systems which accompany them, persist as long as they encourage technological progress. Four progressive modes of production have existed according to marx and engels. Beginning with primitive communism history has witnessed the succession of the slave, feudal and capitalist modes of production. The marxist theory of class struggle and revolution arguably is consistent with historical materialism although there are critics who suggest otherwise. Excepting primitive and advanced communism, each mode of production is characterized by fundamental class division and exploitation in which the ruling class owns the means of production (land or capital or people) and extracts surplus labour from subordinate classes.
