--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The so-called 'materialistic conception…" description: "\"The so-called 'materialistic conception of history,' with the crude elements of genius of the early form which appeared, for instance, in the 'Communis..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/max-weber-8418_communist_the-so-called-materialistic-conception-o_2089417.png" --- # The so-called 'materialistic conception of history,' with… ![“The so-called 'materialistic conception of history,' with the crude elements of genius of the early form which appeared, for instance, in the 'Communist Manifesto,' still prevails only in the minds of laymen and dilettantes.” quote by Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/max-weber-8418_communist_the-so-called-materialistic-conception-o_2089417.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/max-weber-8418_communist_the-so-called-materialistic-conception-o_2089417.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/max-weber-8418_communist_the-so-called-materialistic-conception-o_2089417.png) > “The so-called 'materialistic conception of history,' with the crude elements of genius of the early form which appeared, for instance, in the 'Communist Manifesto,' still prevails only in the minds of laymen and dilettantes.” [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The materialist view of history, exemplified by the Communist Manifesto, remains popular among laypeople despite its crude nature. **In simple terms:** People favor simple historical explanations. Key Takeaway Critically evaluate historical theories. Themes history materialism ideology Mood analytical critical Type educational philosophical When to use this quote - academic courses - public debates - media analysis Key Concepts marxism historical materialism Questions to Reflect On - Why do simple narratives appeal? - How can nuanced history be communicated? A Different Perspective Simplistic views can overlook complexity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Called Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-materialistic-4123430/) [Communist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) [Communist manifesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist-manifesto/) [Conception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conception/) [Crude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crude/) [Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/early/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Genius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genius/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Instance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instance/) [Laymen Dilettantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laymen-dilettantes-4123431/) [Materialistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic/) [Materialistic Conception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materialistic-conception-4123429/) [Minds Laymen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minds-laymen-4123432/) [Only](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/only/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Still](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/still/) ## Related quotes > [The burgeoisie, by the rapid improvement of all instruments of production, by the immensely facilitated means of communication, draws all nations into civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-burgeoisie-by-the-rapid-improvement-of-all-instruments-of/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [In place of the old bourgeois society, with its classes and class antagonisms, we shall have an association in which the free development of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/in-place-of-the-old-bourgeois-society-with-its-classes-and-class/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [If the citizens of the United States are to turn away from the Communist Manifesto and preserve the purpose of the Declaration of Independence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-norris/if-the-citizens-of-the-united-states-are-to-turn-away-from-the/) [Chuck Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-norris/) > [“I feel the color in my cheeks rising again. 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Combination of education with industrial production](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/free-education-for-all-children-in-public-schools-combination-of/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The need of a constantly expanding market for its products chases the bourgeoisie over the entire surface of the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-need-of-a-constantly-expanding-market-for-its-products-chases-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [I don't like the income tax. Every time we talk about these taxes we get around to the idea of 'from each according to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-coleman-andrews/i-don-t-like-the-income-tax-every-time-we-talk-about-these-taxes-we/) [T. Coleman Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-coleman-andrews/) > [Mr. Speaker, in 1848, Karl Marx said, a progressive income tax is needed to transfer wealth and power to the state. Thus, Marx's Communist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-traficant/mr-speaker-in-1848-karl-marx-said-a-progressive-income-tax-is-needed/) [James Traficant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-traficant/) ## More by Max Weber > [“It is horrible to think that the world could one day be filled with nothing but those little cogs, little men clinging to little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/it-is-horrible-to-think-that-the-world-could-one-day-be-filled-with/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [A government is an institution that holds a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/a-government-is-an-institution-that-holds-a-monopoly-on-the/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [The fate of an epoch that has eaten of the tree of knowledge is that it must...recognize that general views of life and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/the-fate-of-an-epoch-that-has-eaten-of-the-tree-of-knowledge-is-that/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [The nation is burdened with the heavy curse on those who come afterwards. The generation before us was inspired by an activism and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/the-nation-is-burdened-with-the-heavy-curse-on-those-who-come/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [Whenever known and sufficient causes are available, it is anti-scientific to discard them in favour of a hypothesis that can never be verified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/whenever-known-and-sufficient-causes-are-available-it-is-anti/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [ \[In\] the realm of science, ... what we have achieved will be obsolete in ten, twenty or fifty years. That is the fate, indeed,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/in-the-realm-of-science-what-we-have-achieved-will-be-obsolete-in-ten/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [The experience of the irrationality of the world has been the driving force of all religious revolution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/the-experience-of-the-irrationality-of-the-world-has-been-the-driving/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [Ideas come when we do not expect them, and not when we are brooding and searching at our desks. Yet ideas would certainly not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/ideas-come-when-we-do-not-expect-them-and-not-when-we-are-brooding/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [ The summum bonum of this \[Puritan\] ethic is the earning of more and more money combined with the strict avoidance of all enjoyment. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/the-summum-bonum-of-this-puritan-ethic-is-the-earning-of-more-and/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [The fate of our times is characterized by rationalization and intellectualization and, above all, by the 'disenchantment of the world.' Precisely the ultimate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/the-fate-of-our-times-is-characterized-by-rationalization-and/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [Daily and hourly, the politician inwardly has to overcome a quite trivial and all-too-human enemy: a quite vulgar vanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/daily-and-hourly-the-politician-inwardly-has-to-overcome-a-quite/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [“The ultimately possible attitudes toward life are irreconcilable, and hence their struggle can never be brought to a final conclusion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/the-ultimately-possible-attitudes-toward-life-are-irreconcilable-and/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [Power is the chance to impose your will within a social context, even when opposed and regardless of the integrity of that chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/power-is-the-chance-to-impose-your-will-within-a-social-context-even/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [“Judgments of the importance of a historical phenomena may be judgments of value or faith, namely, when they refer to what is alone interesting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/judgments-of-the-importance-of-a-historical-phenomena-may-be/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [Causal analysis provides absolutely no value judgment, and a value judgment is absolutely not a causal explanation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/causal-analysis-provides-absolutely-no-value-judgment-and-a-value/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) [Explore all 77 Max Weber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) ## More Communist quotes > [ Corruption could lead to the collapse of the Party \[Communist Party of China\] and the downfall of the state \[People's Republic of China\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xi-jinping/corruption-could-lead-to-the-collapse-of-the-party-communist-party-of/) [Xi Jinping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xi-jinping/) > [If the director's a communist, whatever, he's a communist. All I care is that he directs. For the actor, the same thing. All you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/if-the-director-s-a-communist-whatever-he-s-a-communist-all-i-care-is/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [The most effective method of propaganda directed at the enemy forces is to release captured soldiers and give the wounded medical treatment... Whenever soldiers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/the-most-effective-method-of-propaganda-directed-at-the-enemy-forces/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [I am like all other atheists only in that I do not believe there are any gods. Beyond that, I may differ dramatically in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carrier/i-am-like-all-other-atheists-only-in-that-i-do-not-believe-there-are/) [Richard Carrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-carrier/) > [What we need in South Africa is for egos to be suppressed in favour of peace. We need to create a new breed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hani/what-we-need-in-south-africa-is-for-egos-to-be-suppressed-in-favour/) [Chris Hani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hani/) > [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The ultimate goal of the whole policy of peaceful co-existence was to make progress on the basic goal laid down by Lenin of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-nitze/the-ultimate-goal-of-the-whole-policy-of-peaceful-co-existence-was-to/) [Paul Nitze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-nitze/) > [“Soviet Communism was a fanatical and missionary religion. A devout Communist could not be a Christian or a Buddhist, and was expected to spread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/soviet-communism-was-a-fanatical-and-missionary-religion-a-devout/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [ That's why we had Louis C.K. portray the harder line Communist, to accuse \[Dalton\] Trumbo of being a hypocrite. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-roach/that-s-why-we-had-louis-c-k-portray-the-harder-line-communist-to/) [Jay Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-roach/) > [... what we should be looking for is fresh ideas of how we make moral decisions about our dealings with one another, economic, social,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davis-mccaughey/what-we-should-be-looking-for-is-fresh-ideas-of-how-we-make-moral/) [Davis McCaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davis-mccaughey/) > [My father, Charles Seeger, got me into the Communist movement. He backed out around '38. I drifted out in the 50's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/my-father-charles-seeger-got-me-into-the-communist-movement-he-backed/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [We must protect each other against the attacks of those self-appointed watchdogs of patriotism now abroad in the land who irresponsibly pin red labels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-henry-hildebrand/we-must-protect-each-other-against-the-attacks-of-those-self/) [Joel Henry Hildebrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-henry-hildebrand/) > [This time we'll hate, alright - but we'll hate the enemy - the vicious gang of colored scum attackers and Jewish-Communist traitors - rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lincoln-rockwell/this-time-we-ll-hate-alright-but-we-ll-hate-the-enemy-the-vicious/) [George Lincoln Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lincoln-rockwell/) > [Fidel Castro outlasted U.S. presidents determined to overthrow him, survived the collapse of the communist bloc that sustained him and outlived many of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-gjelten/fidel-castro-outlasted-u-s-presidents-determined-to-overthrow-him/) [Tom Gjelten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-gjelten/) > [Communists all seem to wear small caps, a look I consider better suited to tubes of toothpaste than to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/communists-all-seem-to-wear-small-caps-a-look-i-consider-better/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) [Browse all 1,048 Communist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communist/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The so-called 'materialistic conception of history,' with the crude elements of genius of the early form which appeared, for instance, in the 'Communist Manifesto,' still prevails only in the minds of laymen and dilettantes.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Max Weber" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/the-so-called-materialistic-conception-of-history-with-the-crude/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Communist" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/the-so-called-materialistic-conception-of-history-with-the-crude/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/max-weber-8418_communist_the-so-called-materialistic-conception-o_2089417.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/max-weber-8418_communist_the-so-called-materialistic-conception-o_2089417.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c97/max-weber-8418_communist_the-so-called-materialistic-conception-o_2089417.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The so-called 'materialistic conception of history,' with the crude elements of genius of the early form…” — Max Weber", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Max Weber", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The so-called 'materialistic conception of history,'...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/the-so-called-materialistic-conception-of-history-with-the-crude/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/the-so-called-materialistic-conception-of-history-with-the-crude/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```