On the Development of the Monistic Conception of History

work by Plekhanov

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July 1, 2026

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Georgy Plekhanov's work, "On the Development of the Monistic Conception of History," is a significant text in the formulation of Russian Marxism. It critiques populism and establishes the ideological foundation for Marxism in Russia.1

The core idea, known as historical materialism, posits that a society's economic base (its mode of production) fundamentally shapes its institutions, such as government and religion. Social and political changes occur when these institutions no longer align with the economic structure. This theory, rooted in Marx and Engels's philosophy, views history as a process driven by material contradictions and evolving economic systems. Plekhanov applied these principles to argue that Russia's developing capitalism created conditions for a bourgeois-democratic revolution, followed by a socialist one led by the proletariat.231

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Georgy Valentinovich Plekhanov
Formulation of Russian Marxism
…most importantly with his book On the Development of the Monistic Conception of History. In 1898 he began publishing a series of tracts defending Marxian orthodoxy from those who proposed modifications or deviations, among them the reformist revisionism propounded by the German Social Democrat Eduard Bernstein.
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…most importantly with his book On the Development of the Monistic Conception of History. In 1898 he began publishing a series of tracts defending Marxian orthodoxy from those who proposed modifications or deviations, among them the reformist revisionism propounded by the German Social Democrat Eduard Bernstein.
Read More