How did Marx's theory describe the transition from one type of society to another?

In the context of social science, Karl Marx’s theory of historical materialism describes the transition between societies as a process driven by material and economic conditions rather than abstract ideas.12

The Mechanism of Change

Marx argued that every society is defined by its mode of production—the way it organizes economic activity and the division of labour. As technology and knowledge advance, the material forces of production evolve, eventually coming into conflict with existing social relations.12

This creates internal contradictions that the current system cannot resolve. Because these contradictions are material in nature, they lead to class struggle, where the oppressed class—whose labor sustains the system—eventually overthrows the ruling class that owns the means of production.134

Stages of Development

Marx identified a sequence of historical stages, each emerging from the collapse of the previous one:
* Primitive Communism: Early societies based on simple tools and communal survival.2
* Slavery: The emergence of class-based exploitation.23
* Feudalism: A system defined by land ownership and serfdom.23
* Capitalism: A system where the bourgeoisie owns the means of production and exploits the proletariat.13

Marx posited that capitalism creates its own "grave-diggers" by concentrating workers in industrial settings, fostering the class consciousness necessary for the proletariat to seize power and establish communism, a classless society where the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.45