Reflections on the Marxist Theory of History

This work offers an authoritative defence of the study of history against traditional empiricism and the relativism of postmodern historiography. It provides a readable and impressive discussion of the relationship between Marx and Engels' theory of history, their methodology, and their politics. It also provides a commanding and unique survey of the Marxist literature on the transitions between various modes of production from the Neolithic and Urban revolutions, through the decline of Rome, to the transition from feudalism to capitalism and the nature of bourgeois revolutions. It concludes with a discussion of the political relevance of these historical debates through survey of writers such as Anderson, Callinicos, Eagleton, Harvey, and Jameson.