The Debate on the New Historical Stage: Marxism and the Concept of Post-Industrial Society

Abstract

Marxism and the theory of post-industrial society are two competing but largely similar approaches to the interpretation of social development. The emergence of the hypothesis of the transition to a new, post-industrial stage of history was a challenge for Marxist theorists. They responded with a series of arguments, more or less valid, attempting to refute the main tenets of the competing theory. By now, the dispute is not over. However, it became clear that the key points of both approaches needed further justification.