Question

Choose the correct option from the given options and complete the sentence.
Primitive communism to slavery represents the _____ historiography.
A) Colonial
B) Orientalist
C) Nationalistic
D) Marxist

Answer 1

Hint: This method of socioeconomic analysis was developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 19th century. This method uses a materialist interpretation to understand social relations and conflicts. This term was further popularized by Karl Kautsky after the passing of Friedrich Engels.

Complete answer:
Now let us look into the given options:
Option A) Colonial – Colonial approach can be of two ways; either it can refer to the history of the colonial countries while the other to the works influenced by the colonial ideology of dominion. It praises the Western Culture and values and glorifies the individuals who established the colonial empires. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
Option B) Orientalist – It was developed as a tool to explore the images of East-Central and Eastern European societies in cultural disclosures of the West. It was adopted by scholars like Maria Todorova, Tomasz Zarychi etc. This is also not related to slavery and communism. Therefore, this is an incorrect option.
Option C) Nationalistic – It evolved as a response to the colonial approach. Before the independence of India, it focused on ancient and medieval history and after the independence of India, it started focusing on modern India. It is not related to communism or slavery. Thus, this option is incorrect.
Option D) Marxist – This method of socioeconomic was developed by Karl Marx who designated human history into four stages of development in relations. These were; Primitive communism (cooperative tribal societies), slavery (development of tribes to city-states), Feudalism (aristocrats became the ruling class and merchants became capitalists) and Capitalism (Capitalist are now the ruling class and they employ proletariats. Thus, this is the correct option.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (D) Primitive communism to slavery represents Marxist historiography.

Note: Marxism has also been criticized all over the world due to its internal inconsistency and criticism related to historical materialism. Some people argue that though many Marxist aspects are viable, the corpus is incomplete or outdated in regards to certain aspects of economic, political or social theory.