First published in 1978, this book rapidly established itself as a
classic of modern Marxism. Cohen's masterful application of advanced
philosophical techniques in an uncompromising defense of historical
materialism commanded widespread admiration. In the ensuing twenty
years, the book has served as a flagship of a powerful intellectual
movement--analytical Marxism. In this expanded edition, Cohen offers his
own account of the history, and the further promise, of analytical
Marxism. He also expresses reservations about traditional historical
materialism, in the light of which he reconstructs the theory, and he
studies the implications for historical materialism of the demise of the
Soviet Union.