ABSTRACT
The social phenomenon considered by historic Materialism as the most important of all is the economic phenomenon. Historic Materialism came to assert a merely one-sided rather than a completely reciprocal interdependence of the different social phenomena, and gave to the evolution of society a rigidly fatalistic colouring. The most typical of the historical facts upon which the founders of historic Materialism more especially endeavour to support and sustain their doctrine of this struggle of classes are too well known for it to be worth while to dwell upon them here. Historic Materialism no longer excludes certain collective ideal aspirations, nor does it deny their effect on the masses. In spite of its rather numerous exaggerations, and especially in spite of its glaring fundamental contradiction, historic Materialism has played a really great and important part in the progress and development of sociological science.
