Throughout the article, Woods describes what it means to be a Marxist while also providing definitions of Marxism, with words from Marx and Engels. In addition, Woods explains the “cause” of history saying that it is nothing but activity of mankind always striving toward goals; however, the perception of history is inevitably influenced by certain “interests of a class or grouping in society.” In short, history is always biased.
He mentions a section on free will where people are not blind puppets particularly but neither are they free to do what they desire. In this same section, Woods includes that mankind makes their own history with whatever existing foundations that have been built already from the past, as opposed to creating their own conditions and circumstances. Furthermore, it is heavily emphasized that the success of a socio-economic system is determined by people’s ability to develop means of production and its forces. With all of these forces working together, society is able to gradually develop.
On another note, the writer includes a comparison between Marx and evolution theorist, Charles Darwin. Like Darwin’s idea that any form of species is always changing, Marx and Engels pose ideas that a social system is also always changing and will not be fixed. However, the article mentions that the theory of evolution is widely accepted as slow and gradual process; yet, the explosive occurrences of war and revolutions are the motor force for historical development.
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