The Role of Concept of Ideology in Construction of Marx's Historical Materialism: 1842—1852

Abstract

Marx's concept of ideology plays an important role in construction of historical materialism from 1842-1852. To some extent, it was through the intermediary of ideological criticism that Marx realized the transformation from idealism to materialism, and thus constructed and developed historical materialism. Specifically, through the systematic criticism of concrete ideology, Marx gradually discovered the decisive role of civil society in the superstructure, which helped him transform from idealism to materialism, and lay the foundation for the final discovery of historical materialism; through the discussion of the general ideology, Marx mainly expounded the basic principles of historical materialism, which helped him subvert the basis of the western philosophical metaphysics since Plato, and realize the logical transcendence of the previous philosophical theory; through the analysis of class ideology, Marx revealed the decisive role of economic interests on class consciousness, which helped him develop historical materialism and lay the theoretical foundation for criticism of political economy in his later writings.