historical materialism

Noun

historical materialism (uncountable)

1. (Marxism) A methodological approach to the study of society, economics, and history, looking for the causes of developments and changes in human society in the means by which humans collectively produce the necessities of life.
   • Statt dessen aber dient die Phrase des historischen Materialismus (man kann eben alles zur Phrase machen) nur zu vielen jüngeren Deutschen nur dazu, ihre eignen relativ dürftigen historischen Kenntnisse - die ökonomische Geschichte liegt ja noch in den Windeln! - schleunigst systematisch...1967 [1890 August 5], “Engels an Conrad Schmidt in Berlin”, in Marx-Engels-Werke, volume 37, page 437; translated as “Engels to Conrad Schmidt in Berlin”, in Marx/Engels Collected Works, volume 49...
   • And, thus, I hope even British respectability will not be overshocked if I use, in English as well as in so many other languages, the term "historical materialism", to designate that view of the course of history which seeks the ultimate cause and the great moving power of all important historic...1892, Friedrich Engels, “Socialism: Utopian and Scientific”, in Marxists Internet Archive, 1892 English Edition Introduction (General Introduction and the History of Materialism)