Orthodox Marxism

Orthodox Marxism is the body of Marxist thought that emerged following the death of Karl Marx which became the official philosophy of the socialist movement as represented in the Second International up until the First World War. Orthodox Marxism aims to simplify, codify and systematize Marxist methodology and theory, ironing out the perceived ambiguities and contradictions of Classical Marxism.

The "orthodoxy" in orthodox Marxism specifically refers to the methodology of historical materialism and dialectical materialism employed and not to any of the normative aspects inherent to classical Marxism. "Orthodox" does not imply adherence to the results of Marx's own investigations.

The fundamental characteristics of orthodox Marxism include the understanding that material development (advances in technology in the productive forces) is the primary agent of change in the structure of society and human social relations, and that social systems and their relations (e.g.: feudalism, capitalism, etc.) become increasingly contradictory and inefficient as the productive forces advance, resulting in some form of social revolution arising in response to these mounting contradictions. This revolutionary change serves as the vehicle for fundamental society-wide changes and ultimately leads to the emergence of new economic systems.