I

THE MATERIALISTIC THEORY
OF HISTORY

THE materialistic conception of history, as it is
called, is due to Marx, and underlies the whole Com-
munist philosophy. I do not mean, of course, that a
man could not be a Communist without accepting it,
but that in fact it is accepted by the Communist Party,
and that it profoundly influences their views as to
politics and tactics. The name does not convey at all
accurately what is meant by the theory. It means that
all the mass-phenomena of history are determined by
economic motives. This view has no essential con-
nection with materialism in the philosophic sense.
Materialism in the philosophic sepse may be defined
as the theory that all apparently mental occurrences
either are really physical, or at any rate have purely
physical causes. Materialism in this sense also was
preached by Marx, and is accepted by all orthodox
Marxians, The arguments for and against it are long
and complicated, and need not 'concern us, since, in
fact, its truth or falsehood has little or no bearing on
politics.
In particular, philosophic materialism does not
prove that economic causes are fundamental in politics.
The view of Buckle, for example, according to which
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