Consider the following statements about Scientific Socialism : 1. Karl Marx put forward the theory of Scientific Socialism in Communist Manifesto (1848) 2. According to this theory economic conditions can never determine the cause of human history Which of the statements given above is/ are correct ?

Statement 1 is correct as Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels put forward the theory of Scientific Socialism, with 'The Communist Manifesto' (1848) serving as its foundational text [1]. They distinguished their 'scientific' approach from earlier 'Utopian' socialism by basing it on a materialist conception of history [2]. Statement 2 is incorrect because Scientific Socialism is rooted in historical materialism, which posits that economic conditions—specifically the modes of production and exchange—are the primary determinants of social change and human history [3]. Marx argued that the economic 'base' determines the legal and political 'superstructure'. Thus, according to this theory, economic conditions are the fundamental cause of historical development, contrary to the claim in the statement. The theory emphasizes that social evolution is driven by class struggle arising from these material conditions [1].

Sources

1. [1] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 12: Europe in Turmoil > Karl Marx and Scientific Socialism > p. 180
2. [2] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 12: Europe in Turmoil > Utopian Socialism > p. 178
3. [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism:_Utopian_and_Scientific