What is Historical Materialism?

Name: What is Historical Materialism?
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Master the analytical framework that exposes the real forces driving history, politics, and economic life.

Created byMaurizio Bisogno

Last updated 5/2026

English

What you'll learn

The students will understand what is historic materialism and they will be able to see the world in a different and enriching way.
My students need to be willing to open their mind to a materialistic understanding of the world and especially of the society.
At the end they will be able to use an effective intellectual tool to look beyond the the appearances of the social, political and economic phenomena.

Course content

1 section • 12 lectures • 1h 27m total length

Welcome3:29
Introducing myself, what to expect from this course, course goal, overview of the program.
What is Historical Materialism? — A First Overview1:53
The Main Figures: Marx, Engels, and Their Context5:18
Introducing the philosophers who have played the Main Roles as originators of the Historical Materialism
Who Were They?
Idealism vs. Materialism — The Foundational Distinction4:43

Brief explanation of these two concepts
Introduction to Marxism: Core Principles6:08
Marxism Philosophy: From Theory to Praxis1:54
In this video, we'll explore Marxism as a philosophy of history and how it aims to change the world through human action. We'll dive into Marx's ideas on the class of the proletariat as the transforming subject and the importance of material conditions of production in shaping human existence and identity. Through this video, we'll gain a basic understanding of Marxism.
Ideology: Meaning and History4:47
What Ideology means and where this word come from.
Dialectical Materialism3:25
Brief description of Dialectical Materialism method.
The Dialectic22:04
Here we approach the main intellectual tool to understand History and its actual engine.
The Dialectic Triad
Fundamental Aspects of Materialism9:02
Critics of the Ideology. → concrete/real history;

Men’s needs and their satisfaction.

Work – Alienated work.

Productive forces

-labour power

-means of production

-technical knowledge
Base and Superstructure12:38
Ideas and reality; being and consciousness.
Historical Materialism in Practice: Reading the Ghanaian Independence Movement12:05
Historical Materialism in Practice: Reading the Ghanaian Independence Movement
Theory only becomes a tool when you use it. This lecture puts historical materialism to work on a real historical event — and shows you what it reveals that conventional accounts miss.
We take the Ghanaian independence movement of 1957 as our case study: one of the most significant political ruptures of the twentieth century, and one that can be read with exceptional clarity through a materialist lens. Under Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana became the first sub-Saharan African country to break free from British colonial rule — but the deeper question, the materialist question, is not simply who won and who lost. It is what economic structures made colonial domination possible, what contradictions made it unsustainable, and what class forces drove the independence movement from below.
Working through the concepts developed in previous lectures, we analyse the colonial economic base of the Gold Coast, the ideological superstructure of empire, the dialectical process by which colonialism generated the conditions for its own undoing, and Nkrumah's own contribution to materialist theory through his concept of neo-colonialism.
By the end of this lecture you will be able to apply the full historical materialist framework to a concrete historical situation — and you will have a model you can carry forward to any event, past or present, that you want to understand more deeply.
This is where the framework stops being abstract and starts being indispensable.
Historical Materialism in Practice

Requirements

Focus and interest in philosophy.
Access to Internet

Description

Welcome to my course on Historical Materialism! In this course, we will delve into the fascinating world of historical materialism, a theory that has greatly influenced the way we understand society, politics, and economics. By the end of this course, you will have a thorough understanding of this important concept and how it can be applied to our modern world.

Historical materialism is a way of looking at the world that emphasizes the role of material factors, such as economic conditions and social relations, in shaping historical events and social structures. It is a powerful tool for understanding the complex interplay between social, economic, and political forces, and for making sense of historical processes.

By taking this course, you will gain valuable insights into how historical materialism can help us understand our past, present, and future. You will learn how to analyze social, economic, and political phenomena from a materialistic perspective, and how to connect historical events to broader social, economic, and political trends.

This course is designed for anyone who is interested in developing an objective mindset and a deeper understanding of the worldMost people explain the world through ideas, great leaders, or chance. Historical materialism offers something more powerful: a rigorous method for understanding why societies are structured the way they are, why history unfolds as it does, and who really benefits from the way things are arranged.

Developed by Marx and Engels and refined by generations of thinkers, historical materialism is not a dogma — it is a lens. One that cuts through ideology, narrative, and surface appearances to reveal the material foundations beneath social, political, and economic life.

What you will gain from this course:

A clear, working understanding of historical materialism from the ground up — no prior background in philosophy or economics required
The ability to analyze current events, historical processes, and social structures using a genuinely materialist framework
Critical tools to distinguish between how societies present themselves and how they actually function
A foundation for engaging seriously with Marxist theory, critical social science, and political economy

This course is for you if:

You sense that mainstream explanations of history and politics are incomplete — and you want something more rigorous
You are a student of philosophy, history, sociology, or political science looking to deepen your analytical toolkit
You are an independent thinker who refuses to accept ready-made answers about how the world works
You have encountered terms like base and superstructure, modes of production, or class consciousness and want to truly understand what they mean

This is not an introductory survey that skims the surface. It is a serious intellectual engagement with one of the most important theoretical frameworks ever developed — made accessible without being diluted.

The world does not explain itself. Historical materialism helps you explain it.

Enroll now and begin building the analytical foundation that serious thinking about history and society demands. around them. Whether you are a student, a researcher, or simply someone who is curious about the world, this course will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to explore historical materialism and its relevance to our lives today.

So join me on this exciting journey and let's explore the fascinating world of historical materialism together! By the end of the course, you will have a powerful intellectual tool that will enable you to see beyond the surface of social, political, and economic phenomena and gain a deeper understanding of the world around you.

Who this course is for:

Anyone who is willing to open their mind to a better understandingn of reality.
Anyone who wish to grasp the connection between theory and practice