Why did Marx believe class struggles drive historical change?

Karl Marx believed that class struggle is the driving force of historical change because he viewed history through the lens of historical materialism. He argued that the economic structure of society—specifically the "mode of production"—determines its social, political, and intellectual life.12

In every historical stage, such as feudalism or capitalism, a dominant class controls the means of production and exploits a subordinate class. Marx posited that these systems contain internal "contradictions" or tensions between the material forces of production (tools and technology) and the social relations of production (how labor is organized).314

As technology and economic conditions evolve, the existing social relations become restrictive. This creates conflict between the classes, eventually leading to a revolutionary upheaval where the oppressed class overthrows the ruling class to establish a new, more advanced economic system. For Marx, this process is continuous, with history moving through successive stages of struggle until the final abolition of class conflict and exploitation.3415