At the height of the Cold War, particularly in the 1950s, communists and communism were the hobgoblins that haunted Western consciousness and anyone who professed positive views with regard to the political philosophies of Karl Marx. and Friedrich Engels were immediately put in the communist camp and viewed with suspicion and censorship. Nevertheless, the philosophy of historical materialism espoused by Engels and Marx became very influential on the thinking of the Western world, as well as inspiring the revolutions that rocked Russia and China. The following examination of this philosophy will first provide an overview of the fundamental tenets of this philosophy and then examine the extent to which the legal histories of Europe and the United States can be considered consistent or inconsistent with the ideas proposed by Marx. and Engels. This essay will also examine how the work of later writers reflects theoretical traditions begun by Marx and Engels, or whether their theoretical orientations can be better explained by other traditions. Fundamental Ideas of Marx and Engels Marx proposes the fundamental principles of historical materialism, that is, its economic interpretation of history, in the preface to his text A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy. This writing proposes that it is economic factors, particularly how people produce the necessities necessary to sustain human society, that determine both the politics and ideology of that society. Marx writes that the “legal and political superstructure” of a society will arise from “the mode of production of the material conditions of life for the general process of social, political and intellectual life” (Marx Critique 20). In other words, Marx argued that it was not... middle of paper... given in and that it continues to influence contemporary society, which means, in general, a better future for the working class. Works Cited Dahl, Jonathan. “Congress passes bill likely to force many hotels to install sprinklers in rooms.” Wall Street Journal. Domhof, William. The Higher Circles. (1970): 217-218. Engels, Friedrich. “Letters on Historical Materialism.” Engels, Friedrich. The origin of the family, private property and the State. Granfield, Robert. “Legal Education as a Corporate Ideology: Student Adaptation to the Law School Experience.” Sociological Forum 1.3 (1985): 514-515. Graves, Florence and Norrgard, Lee. “Money to Burn: How Chicago Traders Get Their Way on Capital Hill.” Common Cause Magazine (1985): p. 20-31.Marx, Karl. A contribution to the critique of political economy. Ed. Maurice Dobb. New York: International Press, 1859, 1970.