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Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 2023, 6(16); doi: 10.25236/AJHSS.2023.061606.

A Synthesis of Historical Materialism's Premise of the Principle of "the Economy Plays a Decisive Role"

Author(s)

Jingting Sun, Quanjiao Yu

Corresponding Author:
Jingting Sun
Affiliation(s)

Marxism Theory, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China

Abstract

The fundamental position of the principle of the materialist conception of history that "the economy plays a decisive role" in historical materialism determines that the interpretation of its premise is an unavoidable fundamental issue in the process of the interpretation and development of the materialist conception of history. However, this crucial premise lacks rigorous argumentation and in-depth explanation in the writings of Marx and Engels, and is intrinsically hidden in the principle of the materialist concept of history that "the economy plays a decisive role", which has become a premise that has been obscured and tacitly recognized. This concealment has caused Marxism to attract criticisms such as "economic determinism" and deconstruction such as "pluralistic determinism" and "cultural determinism". At present, there is no direct discussion in the academic circles at home and abroad on the inquiry into the premise of the materialist concept of history that "the economy plays a decisive role". However, some scholars have conducted enlightening and constructive discussions on the issue of the development power of productive forces in "productive forces determining the relations of production" and the universality of "the economic base determining the superstructure", forming a series of rich theoretical results.

Keywords

historical materialism; principle of the "decisive role of the economy"; premise

Cite This Paper

Jingting Sun, Quanjiao Yu. A Synthesis of Historical Materialism's Premise of the Principle of "the Economy Plays a Decisive Role". Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2023) Vol. 6, Issue 16: 35-41. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2023.061606.

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