Marxism and the Interpretation of China

Abstract

From a universalist perspective of historical materialism, the position of China in the world and in world history is essentially defined by its relationship with epochal parameters of capitalism. Both entities in question, capitalism in global dominance and China in search of an alternative, are part of an open-ended historical contour. They need to be duly historicized in their interactions and intertwining effects in any rational inquiry and understanding. This is where Marxism appeals by virtue of its powerful global perspective on capitalism and precapitalism, its penetrating critiques of the capitalist crisis, and its logical conclusion about capitalism’s eventual demise and replacement by a higher social formation.