Class struggle Quote by Louis Althusser
![“There exists [a] word in German, Geschichte, which designates not accomplished history, but history in the present, doubtless determined in large part, yet only in part, by the already accomplished past; for a history which is present, which is living, is also open to a future that is uncertain…” quote by Louis Althusser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d5f/louis-althusser-23865_class-struggle_there-exists-a-word-in-german-geschichte_1311876.jpg)
““There exists [a] word in German, Geschichte, which designates not accomplished history, but history in the present, doubtless determined in large part, yet only in part, by the already accomplished past; for a history which is present, which is living, is also open to a future that is uncertain, unforeseeable, not yet accomplished, and therefore aleatory. Living history obeys only a constant (not a law): the constant of class struggle. Marx did not use the term 'constant', which I have taken from Levi-Strauss, but an expression of genius: 'tendential law', capable of inflecting (but not contradicting) the primary tendential law, which means that a tendency does not possess the form or figure of linear law, but that it can bifurcate under the impact of an encounter with another tendency, and so on ad infinitum. At each intersection the tendency can take a path that is unforeseeable because it is aleatory.””
About This Quote
Source Book: For Marx, 1969, Louis Althusser
History is an ongoing, present‑focused process shaped by past events and class struggle, always open to uncertain futures.
In simple terms: History is present, shaped by past and class struggle, and uncertain.
Key Takeaway
Recognize history as dynamic.
Themes
history
class struggle
uncertainty
philosophy
Mood
reflective
analytical
Type
theoretical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- political analysis
- educational curricula
- social movements
Key Concepts
dialectical materialism
aleatory processes
Questions to Reflect On
- How does class struggle influence current events?
- Can history be fully understood through class analysis?
A Different Perspective
Class struggle is not the sole driver; other forces also shape history.
