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p Historical materialism (and Marxism as a whole) appeared in the 1840s. Its emergence at that time was by no means accidental. The working class, which had begun an independent revolutionary struggle, needed an understanding of the laws 16 and prospects of social development, a genuine science of society. Marx and Kngels created such a science for the working class and working people of the whole world. They were not only the greatest revolutionaries and leaders of the international proletariat, but also outstanding scholars of their time.

p In developing a new theory, Marx and Engels drew on the very best in progressive social thought.

p Philosophers before Marx had made many sound judgements with respect to society’s development. However, one drawback of all proMarxist theories of society was that they were idealistic.

p Idealism is a philosophical world outlook which holds that the primary principle in the world is the spiritual, the ideal. Various idealist philosophers interpret this in different ways: either as God’s will, or as an absolute idea, or as the consciousness of an individual subject, etc. They regard the existing world and nature as something derivative, dependent on the ideal. Philosophical materialism is a world outlook directly opposed to idealism.

p The materialist view of nature existed in ancient India, China, Greece and other countries. Materialist theories became most widespread in the 18th and 19th centuries. Materialist philosophers believed that nature exists indepen- 17 dently of our consciousness, that it is eternal and is not the result of anyone’s effort. They regarded reason and human consciousness as the product of nature’s evolution and successfully fought idealistic views of nature.

p However, even the most prominent materialists before Marx, such as Ludwig Feuerbach in Germany, and Alexander Herzen and Nikolai Chernyshevsky in Russia, held idealistic views of society.

p The life of human society is extremely complex. The natural phenomena which we observe directly are repeated in a more or less regular way, and this helps us to understand their essence. But it is much more difficult to discern such repetition in the development of society, and this prevents one from noticing laws in social development.

p Besides, people act in society as beings endowed with a consciousness and will. In their activities they pursue certain pre-set goals and are guided by certain ideas. All philosophers before Marx believed that it was the conscious objectives, ideas and views of people that were the fundamental causes of all changes occurring in society, i. e., the chief factor determining the course of social development.

p The idealistic view of society also manifested itself in the denial of the role of the popular masses as creators of history. All history was reduced to the activities of individual personali-

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18 ties kings, generals and heroes. Armed with this theory, the Russian Narodniks (or Populists revolutionaries of the 19th century who did not knowMarxism) wished to alter the reactionary system existing at that time in Russia by killing the tsar and officials whom the people hated. Real Hie, however, refuted both the practice of the Narodniks and the anti-scientific theory of the Hero and the crowd, according to which the popular masses were seen only as passive onlookers, while heroes were the genuine creators of history.

p Understandably, it has always been profitable for the ruling classes to prove that it was they who have been elected to sway the historical destinies of peoples. It has also been in their interest to deny the logical nature and real causes of the progressive changes taking place in society. And since the production of ideas (spiritual creativity) in exploiter societies has always been monopolised by the ruling classes, the assertion that ideas rule the world has also played into their hands. Whereas in the 17th and 18th centuries bourgeois sociologists interpreted society in an idealistic way mainly because of their class narrow- mindedness, later on, the distorted idealistic interpretation of history often became a deliberate social option for them. That is why today, too, idealistic views of society are quite widespread in capitalist countries.

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p Marxism also recognises the important role which ideas and human reason play in social history. But these ideas and theories, by which people are guided in their practical activities, are ultimately rooted in material economic relations. The recognition in principle that the material aspect of social life is the primary and initial aspect of the historical process is the essence of the materialist conception of history.

p Marx and Kngels were the first to extend materialism to society and create the materialist interpretation of history. It was this, above all, that was the basis of the radical revolution which Marxism caused in the philosophical interpretation of society. Stressing this outstanding service to humanity, Lenin wrote: "Marx deepened and developed philosophical materialism to the full, and extended the cognition of nature to include the cognition of human society. His historical materialism was a great achievement in scientific thinking. The chaos arid arbitrariness that had previously reigned in views on history and politics were replaced by a strikingly integral and harmonious scientific theory, which shows how, in consequence of the growth of productive forces, out of one system of social life another and higher system develops...”   [19•1 

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p The materialist view of society became possible only after the appearance of capitalism, which centralised material production on a national scale. The dependence of various forms of social life on the development of material production became more visible. Contradictions in the capitalist method of production were clearly manifested in crises of overproduction, unemployment, etc. It was under capitalism that the material and economic foundations of classes and the class struggle became exposed. Engels wrote: "...Our present period has so far simplified these interconnections that the riddle could be solved.”   [20•1  It was under capitalism that the working class came into being and appeared on the historical scene. It needed a scientific conception of social development and a correct revolutionary theory. The working class is characterised by its consistent revolutionary character, and by the coincidence of its class interests with the objective requirements of social progress.

p Marxists have never tried to conceal the fact that their philosophy took shape as a theoretical weapon of the working class. Under the banner of Marxism the working class has already made 21 numerous historic achievements. In the course of historical struggle more and more people from other social layers and classes have become Marxists.

p Marx and Engels expounded the materialist conception of history in many of their writings, primarily in their joint works The Holy Family, The German Ideology and Manifesto of the Communist Party. Marx also set out the materialist view of society in Capita., and Engels in Anti-Duhring, The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, and other works.

p But why is it that a theory created more than a century ago, far from losing its relevance, should still continue to score new victories? The main reason is that Marxism is a living, creative, and constantly developing theory. Materialist dialectics, the very heart of Marxist science, is a revolutionary doctrine on the eternal changing, development and renewal of the existing world. Nature is in a state of constant change, and human society is transforming even more dynamically. Moreover, the pace of changes in social life is constantly growing. What a host of great events have taken place in the life of society over the last few decades! The scientific theory of social life must, therefore, also change and develop. Indeed, Marx and Engels insisted on just this kind of creative approach to their theory of social development.

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p In the new historical conditions which followed the doctrine of Marx and Engels was developed by their successors. A great contribution to historical materialism was made by Lenin, who summarised the new historical experience gained by the working masses in their struggle tor liberation and in building a new life. He creatively evolved Marxist theory on classes, revolution, the state, ways of building socialism, and many other issues. Lenin was a convinced and consistent follower of Marx and Engels. Not only did he work on Marxism in a creative manner, but he also waged a relentless struggle against all traitors to Marxism. He resolutely fought all those who strayed trom the fundamental principles of Marxism, yielding to the impact of bourgeois ideology or complying with a fashion for “new” ideas. Today, the struggle against revisionism, i. e., deviation from the basic principles of Marxism, and distortion of Marxist ideas, remains an important task facing the true followers of Marx, Engels and Lenin.

p Contemporary social development is marked by new important historical events and processes. Marxism-Leninism at the present stage summarises the experience accumulated during the building of socialism and the improving of mature socialism. It examines the laws inherent in the emergence and evolution of the world socialist community, the prospects for the revolutionary struggle of the international working class and the 23 liberation struggle of all peoples, analyses modern-day capitalism, and determines principles for the peaceful coexistence of the two opposing social systems and a policy for securing peace, etc.

p In their works Marxist philosophers interpret the scientific and technological revolution, which is a major phenomenon today, and its social consequences under capitalism and socialism. The most important theoretical documents of the CPSU and works by Marxist philosophers provide an analysis of the global problems facing mankind today, such as the threat of a world thermonuclear war, and urgent problems of ecology, population, food, raw materials, and so on. These are general human problems in the sense that they concern all people living on Earth and cannot be solved by any single country: the joint effort of all nations is required. Marxist literature investigates the essence and causes of emergent global problems and their connection with the class interests of contending social forces and reveals the prospects for their development and ways to solve them.

p The analysis of developing reality has produced new categories in Marxist social science, such as "developed socialism”, "the state of the whole people”, and "the Soviet people”. Old notions such as “civilisation”, "way of life”, etc., have acquired a new content and significance, 24 and this is not only through the study of new data, but also as a result of the new interpretation of processes and phenomena already known.

p Marxism-Leninism is a single international theory. It summarises the revolutionary experience of the struggle of all peoples. It has emerged and is developing as a reflection of the international position of, and the nature of the struggle by, the working class of different countries against international capital. MarxismLeninism is the ideological basis of the unity of the international communist and working-class movement, and its revolutionary strategy and tactics. Communists stand for the comprehensive consideration of the social, economic and cultural traditions and the specific conditions existing in a country, and against the mechanical transferring of the experience of one country to another. And yet there cannot be diverse national versions of Marxism -a Russian, a Chinese, and an Italian Marxism, etc. The same is true of historical materialism, the philosophical and sociological theory of social development, whose principal tenets are the same for all countries.

Marxism-Leninism is open for creative development by all Marxist-Leninist parties, on the basis of their experience in revolutionary struggle. Marxists-Leninists collectively develop and improve the single, integral Marxist-Leninist theory, guided in their practical and theoretical 25 activities by the principle of proletarian internationalism.