Historical determinism
Philosophical view that events are entirely determined by history
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Through Determinism and Karl Marx
The concept of determinism appeared in the 19th century. The main idea is that certain factors determine the existence of humans and therefore limit the scope of their free will. In history, this is an approach that holds that history is intrinsically meaningful. Used as a pejorative, it is normally meant to designate a rigid finalist or mechanist conception of historical unfolding that makes the future appear as an inevitable and predetermined result of the past.
Relationship to historical materialism
Historical determinism has been opposed by historical materialists such as Karl Marx, who have argued that people make their own decisions, even if the decisions are influenced by material conditions.