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Historical materialism broadly refers to applying the philosophy of materialism to the study of social life.[1]
In this way, one is able to understand how material conditions affected societies of the past, how they reacted to them and thus how these societies came to be or ceased to exist; ultimately explaining why the world is how it is today.
It is often used alongside dialectical materialism as dialectics are also an inextricable part of historical development.
References
- ↑ ENGELS; Friederich: "Socialism: Utopian and Scientific" (Read on Marxists.org)