Marxism and History

These two essays, on base and superstructure and the transition from feudalism to capitalism, provide a new synthesis of Marx's theory of historical change. Chris Harman shows that a Marxist understanding of history rejects any kind of crude determinism. Instead it gives an unparalleled analysis of how change is forged out of struggle in a context determined first and foremost, but is not exclusively, but economic factors. This book is essential reading for anyone who not only wishes to understand the world but also to change it.