Jonathan Wolff
Historical Materialism
Extracts from the 1859
Preface
1. In the social production
of their life, men enter into definite relations that are indispensable and
independent of their will.
2. Relations of production É
correspond to a definite stage of development of the material productive
forces.
3. The sum total of the
relations of production constitutes the economic structure of society.
4. The economic structure
[is] the real basis, on which arises a legal and political superstructure.
5. The mode of production of
material life conditions the social, political and intellectual life process in
general.
6. At a certain stage of
their development the material productive forces of society come in conflict
with the existing relations of production.
7. [Property relations] are É
a legal expression for [relations of production].
8. From forms of development
of the productive forces [relations of production] turn into their fetters.
Then begins an epoch of social revolution.
9. In considering such
[epochs of social revolutions] a distinction should always be made between the
material transformation of the economic conditions of production É and the É
ideological forms in which men become conscious of this conflict and fight it
out.
10. No social formation ever
perishes before all the productive forces for which there is room in it have
developed.
11. New, higher relations
of production never appear before
the material conditions of their existence have matured in the womb of the old
society itself.
THE CENTRAL THESES OF
HISTORICAL MATERIALISM (CohenÕs interpretation)
1. The Development Thesis:
The
productive forces tend to develop throughout history.
2. The Primacy Theses:
i)
The nature of the economic structure of a society is explained by the level of
development of its productive forces.
ii)
The nature of the superstructure is explained by the economic structure (the
base).