Shit Does Not Just Happen: an introduction to historical materialism

rs21 introduces the materialist conception of history, a theory first developed by Karl Marx, and explains how it can be used to understand recent events such as the uprising in Bosnia and the London riots of 2011. Crucially, it shows us how ordinary people, the exploited and the oppressed, can make history.

For further reading, this article by Paul D’Amato expands on the Marxist view of history and clears up some misconceptions.

For further reading on the uprising in Bosnia see Tuzla is the Spark – the promise of Bosnia’s uprising and The Plenum Has The Power – Challenges for the movement in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Many thanks to Dubioza Kolektiv for kindly giving us permission to use their song ‘Firma Ilegal’.