Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence is a 1978 book by Gerald Cohen

Gerald Cohen

Gerald Allan "Jerry" Cohen was a Marxist political philosopher, formerly Visiting Quain Professor of Jurisprudence, University College, London and Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory, All Souls College, Oxford...

, considered a groundbreaking reinterpretation of the Marxist doctrine of historical materialism. It has introduced historical materialism as a reliable theory to English language social texts.

Cohen uses the techniques of modern analytic philosophy

Analytic philosophy

Analytic philosophy is a generic term for a style of philosophy that came to dominate English-speaking countries in the 20th century...

 to construct Marx’s theory of history in a language familiar to liberal and “bourgeois” social theory

Social theory

Social theories are theoretical frameworks which are used to study and interpret social phenomena within a particular school of thought. An essential tool used by social scientists, theories relate to historical debates over the most valid and reliable methodologies , as well as the primacy of...

. The book is sometimes considered to be the first in a school of thought that explores and attempts to reconstruct Marxism using the tools of Anglo-American analytical philosophy and social science, which later came to be known as "Analytical Marxism

Analytical Marxism

Analytical Marxism refers to a particular Marxist approach that was prominent amongst English-speaking philosophers and social scientists during the 1980s. It was mainly associated with the September Group of academics, so called because of their biennial September meetings to discuss common...

".

Cohen’s theory was very orthodox in conclusions but its language, premises and method were not traditionally employed by marxists. It was congenial to the rigorous tools used in 1970s social science, as well as the logical and linguistic analysis used in contemporary philosophy.

Analytical Marxism is sometimes called "Rational Choice Marxism", although not all of its proponents affirm, or need affirm, a form of rational choice. According to some, RCM means that all economical and political action and theories should be explained by the action of not just any individuals but by the actions of a certain individual capable of choice and rational agency. Although some believe it is impossible to reconstruct marxism in this way, many marxists today accept that Cohen's work presents a landmark in the (re)interpretation of Marx's philosophy.

In reality, the approach used by the group of scholars who are known as Analytical Marxists draws only in part on neoclassical models. What truly distinguishes Analytical Marxism from many past 'Marxisms' is its rejection of the holistic

Holism

Holism is the idea that all the properties of a given system cannot be determined or explained by its component parts alone...

methodology. That is, 'Analytical Marxists' do not believe that classes or any other entities should be seen as acting in a way that is not the result of the actions of the individuals that make up that entity. Analytical Marxists, generally speaking, do not agree with the rational man/homo economicus premise of neo-classical economics (although they sometimes use this premise as a tool, not a description of a reality) but do otherwise tend to agree with mainstream methodology. Failure to distinguish between the method, and the theory of human nature that is often posited by people who use this technique will lead to mass confusion.

AM and RCM challenge bourgeois theory on its own terms. Human rationality is potentially very good starting point for criticizing capitalism, but not the only one. Like many 'analytical Marxists', Cohen has turned his attention towards the concepts of justice, equality and exploitation in his more recent works.