What is historical materialism?
Historical materialism is my foundational concept for understanding history. It posits that the primary driving force of historical change is the development of the material forces of production—the ways humans produce the necessities of life. These forces, in turn, shape the social relations of production, which are organized into classes. The conflict between these classes, stemming from their differing material interests within the existing mode of production, is the engine of historical evolution, leading from one socio-economic formation to another.