ABSTRACT

Historical materialism proceeds from the assumption that productive forces and relations of production do not vary independently of each other, but rather form structures that: are mutually related; and produce a finite number of developmental stages homologous in their structure, so that the succession of the modes of production reveals a developmental logic. This chapter discusses the fundamental concepts and central hypotheses of historical materialism. It examines the concept of 'social labour' and 'history of the species". It further describes the two basic assumptions of historical materialism: first, to the theory of base and superstructure and, second, to the dialectic of production forces and relations of production. The chapter proposes the reconstruction and it is possible to ascertain learning processes not only in the domain of technical knowledge, but also in the dimension of moral-practical awareness. The structural types of social integration can be arranged in a developmental sequence.