E-ISSN 2584-0525 clioquest@gmail.com +91-7051843946 SJIF 5.762

Jul-Dec(2025) | Vol.3 No.2

Imperialism and Class Struggle in Modern History: A Dialectical Critique

Aftab Ahmad Mir ORCID

Ph.D Research Scholar, Department of Sociology & Social Work, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar

The study presents a thorough Marxist examination of historical transformation, emphasising the interconnected themes of imperialism, revolution, and class struggle. It follows the changes in Marxist history from its classical materialist roots to modern interpretations that have been influenced by global capitalism and the spread of other ideas. The book critically interacts with arguments on economic determinism, political agency, and revolutionary practice by exploring fundamental texts and theoretical contributions from Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky, Gramsci, and subsequent philosophers. It examines the profound impact of European historical events on early Marxist philosophy, often revealing Eurocentric biases, and reevaluates its relevance to non-Western nations such as India, Russia, and China. The study closely examines important events including the Paris Commune, the Russian Revolution, and imperialism's role in the growth of capitalism. It also talks on differences within Marxist thought, such as revisionist criticisms, the role of the proletariat party, and the idea of everlasting revolution. The paper employs a historical-analytical approach to contend that, while classical Marxism offers significant instruments for comprehending socio-economic revolutions, its inflexible paradigms need reassessment in the context of modern complications. The paper contends that historical materialism continues to be an essential but developing paradigm for analysing class dynamics and global historical processes.
1. Isaac Deutscher, “Marxism in Our Time,” Marxism, Wars & Revolutions, Verso, 1984, pp. 243–255.
2. Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Revolution, 1789-1848, The World Publishing Company, 1962.
3. Ibid., p. 50.
4. Eric Hobsbawm, The Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991, Pantheon Books, 1994.
5. Ibid., p. 200.
6. Giovanni Arrighi, Adam Smith in Beijing: Lineages of the Twenty-first Century, Verso, 2007.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. François Furet, Le Passé d’une illusion. Essai sur l’idée de communisme au XXe siècle, Laffont/CalmannLévy, 1995, p. 18.
10. Jürgen Osterhammel, Die Verwandlung der Welt: Eine Geschichte des 19. Jahrhunderts, C. H. Beck, 2009,
pp. 758, 777.
11. Karl Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, chap. 1.
12. Penelope J. Corfield, “The State of History,” Journal of Contemporary History, vol. 36, no. 1, 2001, p.
156.
13. Paul Blackledge, Reflections on the Marxist Theory of History, Manchester UP, 2006.
14. Ibid., p. 45.
15. E. P. Thompson, The Poverty of Theory, Merlin Press, 1995, p. 63.
16. Georg G. Iggers, Historiography in the Twentieth Century: From Scientific Objectivity to the Postmodern
Challenge, Wesleyan UP, 1997.
Keywords
Marxism historical materialism class struggle imperialism revolution capitalism proletarian theory.
Cite this Article
Mir, A. A. (2025). Imperialism and Class Struggle in Modern History: A Dialectical Critique. Clioquest: Journal of Historical Research, 3(2), 5–16.
Mir, A. A. "Imperialism and Class Struggle in Modern History: A Dialectical Critique." Clioquest: Journal of Historical Research, vol. 3, no. 2, 2025, pp. 5–16.
Mir, A. A. "Imperialism and Class Struggle in Modern History: A Dialectical Critique." Clioquest: Journal of Historical Research 3, no. 2 (2025): 5–16.
Citation generated automatically. Please verify formatting before use.