Marx's Arguments On The Formation And The Trend Of World History

The Marx's theory of world history is of great realistic significance for a correct understanding of globalization, anti-globalization, the socialist road with Chinese characteristics. It is necessary to return to the Marx's era, back to Marx's writings to study it earnestly. Marx has studied carefully the formation process of world history with linking closely with the characteristics of era. He believes that history turning to world history is decided by the following three changes. First, Workshop Handicraft Industry changes into Large-scale Industry. Due to its low technological content, Workshop Handicraft Industry must rely on the political protection, such as tariffs, war, and so on. These measures make a state separate from other countries and the world history has not been formed. The development of division makes Workshop Handicraft Industry change into Large-scale Industry. It has broken all "natural" relations between the original things and formed a new history: world history. Workshop Handicraft Industry and Large-scale Industry are all the results of the development of division. The division is the performance of material production. This study shows that Marx's theory is based on material production, which is the specific application of Historical Materialism in the field of world history. Second, hierarchical capital changes into modern industrial capital. Hierarchical capital is subordinate to the feudal hierarchy, and it is impossible to be in the dominant position. So its expansionist nature is not fully developed and world history has not been formed. Modern industrial capital makes world history be formed by shortening the time to expand the scope of the circulation channels. Finally, the labor for the purpose of usefulness changes into the labor for the purpose of exchange. The labor for the purpose of usefulness only creates regional history, because its starting point is the natural need of producer. But the labor for the purpose of exchange creates world history by making people-to-people relations, production, and the needs of human worldwide. Marx has not only demonstrated the formation of world history but also pointed out the trend of world history. The development of Large-scale Industry will provide a material basis for the future community. The modern industrial capital and the labor for the purpose of exchange will inevitably move toward extinction because of their own contradictions. These make the history a second shift towards communism.