The Fourfold Implications of Marx and Engels’ Thought on Civilization

The thought on civilization of Marx and Engels mainly comprises four implications: “practice–civilization,” “history–civilization,” “dialectics–civilization,” and “revolution–civilization.” Following the internal logic of progressive and interlocking layers from “practice” through “history” and “dialectics” to “revolution,” Marx and Engels took historical materialism as their method for studying civilization, clarifying that the emergence and evolution of human civilization are rooted in the material productive practice of real individuals; taking the historical flux of material productive practice and the succession of its social formations as a thread, they revealed the evolutionary course of the forms of human civilization; grasping the dialectical nature of the development of history and civilization, they depicted the future prospect of communist civilization in the critique and sublation of capitalist civilization; and, starting from the root of the dialectical nature of historical and civilizational development—that is, the movement of the fundamental contradiction of society—they discerned the basic means and organizational forces for the leap from capitalist civilization to communist civilization. The thought on civilization of Marx and Engels not only possesses the groundbreaking significance of surpassing previous Western theories of civilization, but also constitutes the theoretical foundation for the Chinese Communist Party’s creation of a new form of human civilization, providing practical inspiration for enriching and developing the new form of human civilization on the new journey of the New Era.

马克思恩格斯文明思想主要包括“实践—文明” “历史—文明” “辩证—文明”“革命—文明”四重意蕴。依循“实践—历史—辩证—革命”层层递进、环环相扣的内在逻辑,马克思恩格斯以唯物史观为文明研究方法,阐明人类文明的产生与演变根植于现实的个人的物质生产实践;以物质生产实践的历史流变及其社会形态的更替为线索,揭示出人类文明形态的演进历程;把握历史与文明发展的辩证本性,在批判与扬弃资本主义文明中描绘共产主义文明的未来图景;又从历史与文明发展辩证本性的根源即社会基本矛盾运动出发,洞察资本主义文明向共产主义文明跃升的基本手段与组织力量。马克思恩格斯文明思想不仅具有超越此前西方文明理论的开创性意义,而且是中国共产党创造人类文明新形态的理论根基,为新时代新征程丰富和发展人类文明新形态提供现实启示。

“A new form of human civilization” is a brand-new discursive category put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping in his speech at the ceremony marking the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party. For the autonomous construction and scholarly elucidation of this original Chinese discourse, it is necessary to return to the thought on civilization of Marx and Engels and to analyze the concept and semantics of civilization, thereby helping to enhance the ideational quality and explanatory power of current theoretical research on the new form of human civilization, and providing practical inspiration for advancing the creation of a new form of human civilization and even promoting the flourishing development of human civilization in the contemporary era.

“人类文明新形态”是习近平总书记在庆祝中国共产党成立100周年大会上的讲话中提出的全新话语范畴。对于这一原创性中国话语的自主建构与学理阐释，有必要回到马克思恩格斯文明思想并剖析文明的概念与语义，助益于增强当前人类文明新形态理论研究的思想性与解释力，并为当代推进创造人类文明新形态乃至促进人类文明繁荣发展提供现实启示。

I. The “Practice–Civilization” Thesis: Establishing the Methodology of Historical Materialism and Clarifying the Essence and Connotation of Civilization

一、“实践一文明”论：确立唯物史观的方法论，阐明文明的本质及其内涵

Marx and Engels took historical materialism as the theoretical foundation and methodological guidance for the study of civilization, establishing the research paradigm of “practice–civilization.” This paradigm upholds the principle of the primacy of material productive practice, examining the emergence and transformation of civilization in the material productive practice of real individuals, and discovering that “civilization is a matter of practice, a quality of society,”[n] thereby scientifically clarifying the essence and connotation of civilization.

马克思恩格斯以唯物史观作为文明研究的理论基石与方法指导，确立起“实践—文明”的研究范式。这一范式秉持物质生产实践本源性的原则，在现实的个人的物质生产实践中考察文明的生成与流变，发现“文明是实践的事情，是社会的素质”，科学阐明了文明的本质及其内涵。

Practicality is the fundamental attribute of civilization. First, material productive practice is the origin of civilization. There is no doubt that without human beings there is no civilization. Practice, as the mode of human existence, not only plays a decisive role in the evolutionary process from ape to human, generating the subject of civilization creation, but is also the basic form of human survival—that is, the unfolding of human history—driving the development of civilization creation. In practical activity, the objectification of human essential forces takes the form of certain positive achievements, namely material and spiritual achievements, which then condense into human civilization. Second, material productive practice is the source of motivation for civilizational development. In Marx’s view, improvements in labor methods and production tools within material productive practice can create enormous social productive forces, providing an inexhaustible driving force for the progress of human civilization. Engels discovered that improvements in industry inevitably bring about “an increase in the level of civilization,”[n] thereby revealing the foundational and dominant significance of economic and social transformation for Britain’s movement toward modern industrial civilization. Third, material productive practice is the determining factor in civilizational development. The state of development of material civilization fundamentally influences and determines the degree of development of other civilizational elements and even of civilization as a whole.

实践性是文明的根本属性。其一，物质生产实践是文明产生的根源。毋庸置疑，没有人类就没有文明。实践作为人的存在方式，不仅在从猿到人的进化历程中起着决定性作用，生成文明创造的主体，而且是人类生存即人类历史展开的基本形式，推动文明创造的展开。在实践活动中，人的本质力量对象化为一定的积极成果即物质成就与精神成就，进而凝结为人类文明。其二，物质生产实践是文明发展的动力来源。在马克思看来，物质生产实践中劳动方式、生产工具的改进能够创造出巨大的社会生产力，为人类文明进步提供不竭动力。恩格斯就发现了工业的改进必然带来“文明程度的提高”，从而揭示出经济社会变革对英国社会走向现代工业文明的基础性、支配性意义。其三，物质生产实践是文明发展的决定因素。物质文明的发展状况从根本上影响并决定着其他文明要素乃至文明整体的发展程度。

Sociality is an important attribute of civilization. First, civilization is the result of social practice. Civilization is a matter of practice, and human practice is from the outset a social activity. The creation of civilization requires both the social practice of human beings and the social collectivity of practice. Second, civilization is a reflection of social progress. Marx pointed out that relations of production are a historical product that develops along with material means of production and productive forces. As practice unfolds, relations of production are continuously optimized, and human society manifests a trend and historical stage of gradual enlightenment and progress. “Civilization,” as a quality of society, was also used by Marx and Engels as a standard and measure for evaluating social progress. Third, civilization is a holistic description of society. In the view of Marx and Engels, society is a vast living organism with multiple elements, multiple levels, and multiple structures. They took “civilization” as another research perspective for examining the social organism and its historical development, indicating that civilization as a quality of society is a holistic category.

社会性是文明的重要属性。首先，文明是社会实践的结果。文明是实践的事情，而人的实践一开始就是社会性的活动。文明创造既需要人的社会性实践，又需要实践的社会性集体。其次，文明是社会进步的映现。马克思指出，生产关系是随着物质生产资料、生产力发展的历史性产物。随着实践的展开，生产关系不断优化，人类社会呈现为日渐开化、进步的发展态势与历史阶段。作为社会素质的“文明”，还被马克思恩格斯作为衡量社会进步的标准与尺度。最后，文明是对社会的整体性描述。在马克思恩格斯看来，社会是一个多要素、多层次、多结构的庞大生命体、有机体。他们以“文明”作为透视社会有机体及其历史发展的又一研究视角，指明作为社会素质的文明是一个整体性范畴。

The process of the existence, change, and flourishing of human civilization has its fundamental driving force in material productive practice, and its main body of strength is the masses of the people. The driving role of material productive practice and the principal role of the masses are internally unified; the masses create civilization through material productive practice. The fundamental reason why contemporary Chinese society has successfully pioneered a new form of human civilization lies in China’s development achieving an internal integration of taking economic construction as the central task and taking a people-centered approach. Whether it is the development of a new form of human civilization or the development of various civilizational entities worldwide, the most fundamental approach is to start from promoting material productive practice and unleashing the principal strength of human beings. For China, at the level of material productive practice, it is necessary to fully, accurately, and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, regulate the purposes, driving forces, methods, and paths of development, take promoting high-quality development as the theme and goal, and ensure that economic development achieves both effective qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth. At the level of unleashing the principal strength of human beings, it is necessary both to adhere to the fundamental position of putting the people first, rely closely on the people in upholding people’s democracy, continuously benefit the people in promoting economic and social development and meeting the people’s needs for a better life, and firmly take root among the people in maintaining close ties with them; and to thoroughly implement the strategy of invigorating China through science and education, the strategy of strengthening the nation through human resources, and the innovation-driven development strategy, strive to cultivate top-notch innovative talents, and strengthen the talent support for civilizational development.

人类文明存在、变迁与繁荣的过程，其根本动力源于物质生产实践，其主体力量是人民群众。物质生产实践的动力作用与人民群众的主体作用是内在统一的，人民群众通过物质生产实践创造着文明。当代中国社会之所以成功开创人类文明新形态，根本在于中国发展实现了以经济建设为中心与以人民为中心的内在统合。无论是人类文明新形态的发展，还是世界范围内各文明体的发展，最根本地要从促进物质生产实践与发挥人的主体力量着手。对于中国而言，在物质生产实践层面，必须完整、准确、全面贯彻新发展理念，规制发展目的、动力、方式和路径，以推动高质量发展为主题与目标，确保经济发展实现质的有效提升与量的合理增长。在发挥人的主体力量层面，既要坚持人民至上的根本立场，在坚持人民民主中紧紧依靠人民，在推动经济社会发展与满足人民对美好生活的需要中不断造福人民，在同人民群众保持密切联系中牢牢植根人民；又要深入实施科教兴国战略、人才强国战略、创新驱动发展战略，着力造就拔尖创新人才，强化文明发展的人才支撑。

II. The “History–Civilization” Thesis: Based on the Theory of Social Formations, Revealing the Evolutionary Course of the Forms of Human Civilization

二、“历史一文明”论：立足社会形态理论，揭示人类文明形态的演进历程

Examining civilization from the paradigm of the theory of practice, the history of civilization is the history of the material, social, and historical productive labor of real individuals. Taking productive forces and relations of production as core categories to explain the historical essence of civilizational development, and proceeding from the succession of economic social formations, Marx and Engels constructed the “history–civilization” thesis, revealing the evolutionary course of the forms of human civilization in historical time.

以实践论的范式考察文明，文明发展史是现实的个人的物质性、社会性、历史性生产劳动的发展史。马克思恩格斯以生产力与生产关系为核心范畴来阐释文明发展的历史本质，从经济的社会形态更替出发，建构起“历史一文明”论，揭示出历史时间中人类文明形态的演进历程。

Marx and Engels’ reflections on the forms of civilization are inseparably linked to their theory of economic social formations. By dividing forms of civilization on the basis of economic social formations, Marx and Engels fundamentally discovered the essential driving force, internal laws, and evolutionary trajectory of civilizational development, and also established the fundamental coordinates for grasping forms of civilization in the present. Clearly, whether it is Toynbee’s 26 types of civilization based on the historical development of various regions, Jaspers’ world-historical explanatory framework of the “Promethean Age–Ancient Civilizations–Axial Age–Technological Age” from the perspective of the development of human spiritual consciousness, or Huntington’s 7 or 8 types of civilization mainly from the perspective of “culture–religion,” all these only clarify forms of civilization at the level of specific characteristics rather than determining causes, and are unable to find the fundamental reasons for the formation and development of civilization. Although Marx and Engels took the mode of material production and its evolution as the determining factor in defining forms of civilization, they did not deny the influence and shaping of forms of civilization by factors such as geographical environment, cultural tradition, technological level, and religious characteristics; they only opposed bourgeois scholars using the latter factors as the fundamental basis for explaining civilizational development or dividing forms of civilization, in order to conceal the exploitative nature of capitalist civilization and maintain bourgeois rule.

马克思恩格斯对于文明形态的思考同其经济的社会形态理论有着密不可分的联系。马克思恩格斯基于经济的社会形态划分文明形态，从根本上发现了文明发展的本质动力、内在规律和演进轨迹，还为当前把握文明形态确定了根本坐标。显然，无论是汤因比依据各个地区历史发展形势划分的26种文明类型，还是雅斯贝斯从人的精神意识发展视角划分的“普罗米修斯时代—古文明时代—轴心时代—技术时代”世界历史解释框架，抑或亨廷顿主要基于“文化—宗教”视角划分的7或8种文明类型，都只是在具体特点而非决定原因层面阐明文明形态，无法找到文明形成、发展的根本原因。马克思恩格斯虽以物质资料生产方式及其演变作为界定文明形态的决定性因素，但并不否认地理环境、文化传统、技术水平、宗教特征等因素对文明形态的影响与塑造，只是反对资产阶级学者以后种因素作为解释文明发展或划分文明形态的根本依据，以掩盖资本主义文明的剥削性与维系资产阶级统治。

With the succession of economic social formations, the forms of civilization in the overall development of social history generally manifest as an evolutionary process of “slave-society civilization → feudal-society civilization → capitalist civilization → communist civilization.” Economic social formations reveal that the historical process of human society generally follows the law of successive replacement by primitive society, slave society, feudal society, capitalist society, and communist society. There is an inherent tension between forms of civilization and economic social formations; civilization is a relatively recent phenomenon and historical product of human society’s development to a certain stage. Apart from primitive society, civilization is based on and exists within the corresponding economic social formation. In *The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State*, Engels divides the historical process of humanity into “savagery — barbarism — civilization,” but points out that savagery and barbarism are actually two stages of development within primitive society and do not belong to the stage of human civilization history; it is not until human history enters slave society that human history begins to enter the period of civilization history. The epoch of civilization is essentially a class society, successively undergoing the replacement of slave-society civilization, feudal-society civilization, and capitalist civilization. After the end of the civilization form of class society, the history of human civilization will enter the civilization form of a classless society, namely communist civilization.

随着经济的社会形态的更替，文明形态在社会历史发展中总体上呈现为“奴隶社会文明一封建社会文明—资本主义文明—共产主义文明”的演进历程。经济的社会形态，揭示着人类社会历史进程一般遵循着原始社会、奴隶社会、封建社会、资本主义社会和共产主义社会依次更替的规律。文明形态同经济的社会形态天然存在张力，其是人类社会发展到一定阶段的晚近现象与历史产物。除原始社会以外，文明以相应的经济的社会形态为基础并存在其中。恩格斯在《家庭、私有制和国家的起源》中，虽将人类历史进程划分为“蒙昧时代—野蛮时代—文明时代”，但指出蒙昧时代与野蛮时代实际上是原始社会的两个发展阶段，不属于人类文明史的阶段；直到人类历史步入奴隶社会，人类历史才开始进入文明史时期。文明时代本质上是阶级社会，依次经历着奴隶社会文明、封建社会文明和资本主义文明形态的依次更替。在结束阶级社会的文明形态之后，人类文明史将进入无阶级社会的文明形态即共产主义文明。

Viewed through the lens of the evolutionary map of civilization forms, the new form of human civilization with the fundamental attribute of socialism not only represents the inevitable trend and advanced direction of human historical development, but is also the actual result of the Chinese people’s active choice under the determining role of history. The direction of modern China’s civilization development is intrinsically and essentially linked to the choice of doctrine and the selection of the path, and is inseparable from the historical theme of national salvation from extinction. In the process of reflecting on the October Revolution in Russia and accepting Marxism, the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people turned toward the choice of the socialist path and the construction of socialist modernity, overthrew the “three great mountains” [3]3 The “three great mountains” (三座大山) refers to imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism, which the Chinese Communist Party identified as the main oppressors of the Chinese people before 1949., initiated the course of revolution, construction, and reform and opening up, and actively created a new form of human civilization. The manifestation of the new form of human civilization is the intrinsic unity of conformity to purpose and conformity to law. To develop the new form of human civilization in the contemporary era, it is necessary to firmly adhere to the orientation of socialist civilization construction. This requires both upholding and developing Marxism, opening up new frontiers in adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times; and avoiding falling into the tendency of “rigidly preserving the original position” of reviving traditional Chinese civilization or the argument of “blindly copying” that extols Western capitalist civilization. On the other hand, given the profound interconnection and interaction between path and civilization, the key to China’s initiation of a new form of human civilization lies in forging a Chinese-path modernization path that conforms to China’s national conditions and adapts to the development of the productive forces. Therefore, firm confidence in the path will in turn nourish the development of civilization.

以文明形态演进图谱观之，社会主义根本属性的人类文明新形态既代表着人类历史发展的必然趋势与先进指向，还是历史决定性作用下中国人民能动选择的实然结果。近代中国的文明发展方向与主义抉择、道路选择存在内在本质性关联，同救亡图存的历史主题不可剥离。中国共产党和中国人民在思索俄国十月革命与接受马克思主义的过程中转向社会主义道路选择和社会主义现代性建构，推翻“三座大山”，开启革命、建设和改革历程，主动创造出人类文明新形态。人类文明新形态的展现，是合目的性与合规律性的内在统一。当代发展人类文明新形态，必须坚定社会主义文明建设指向。既要坚持与发展马克思主义，开辟马克思主义中国化时代化新境界；又不陷入复兴中国传统文明的“固守本位”倾向与推崇西方资本主义文明的“照搬照抄”论调。另一方面，道路与文明深刻相通与交互下，中国开启人类文明新形态的关键在于走出了一条符合中国国情并适应生产力发展的中国式现代化道路，因而对道路的坚定自信也将反哺文明发展。

III. The “Dialectics-Civilization” Thesis: Critiquing Capitalist Civilization and Depicting the Future Prospect of the Form of Human Civilization

三、“辩证一文明”论：批判资本主义文明，描绘人类文明形态的未来图景

The development of civilization in historical time is a dialectical process in which successive forms inherit from one another but are “connected with each other in such a way that one negates the other.” By completing the thorough transformation of dialectics, Marx and Engels not only revealed the dual character of capitalist civilization, but also, in sublating and transcending capitalist civilization, depicted the prospect of a future civilization, forming the “dialectics-civilization” thesis.

历史时间中的文明发展，是一个前后形态相承但又“以一个否定另一个的方式彼此联系着”的辩证过程。由于完成辩证法的彻底变革，马克思恩格斯不仅揭示出资本主义文明的两重性，而且在扬弃与超越资本主义文明中描绘出未来文明图景，形成“辩证—文明”论。

Examining civilization with a critical eye, Marx and Engels revealed that capitalist society possesses the dual character of “civilization” and “barbarism.” Marx and Engels believed that the development of society in the period of capitalist civilization realized the turn from the relations of personal dependence to the relations of material dependence, which is a progressive manifestation conforming to the development of civilization. However, they also recognized that capitalist society, built on the system of labor enslavement, inherently possesses an anti-civilization attribute. Inventions and advances such as machinery, wealth, and technology not only bring about social problems like hunger, excessive fatigue, impoverishment, and moral decay, but also cause the alienation phenomenon where “material forces” in turn dominate and oppress “human life.” The bourgeoisie, loudly proclaiming “human emancipation,” uses seemingly free and equal exchange relations to conceal the heavy exploitation and oppression of the proletariat, deviating from civilization’s attribute of belonging to humanity and being for humanity. On a global scale, the bourgeoisie also carries out aggressive acts through anti-civilization means such as plunder, enslavement, and slaughter, leading to disasters such as the widening global wealth gap, world economic crises, and global environmental crises, and also constructs a self-centered “dominance-subordination” “civilized” world pattern.

以批判的眼光审视文明，马克思恩格斯揭示出资本主义社会具有“文明”与“野蛮”两重性。马克思恩格斯认为资本主义文明时期社会发展实现了扬弃人的依赖性关系向物的依赖性关系的转向，是合乎文明发展的进步表现。但他们也认识到，建立在劳动奴役制上的资本主义社会内在具有反文明属性。机器、财富和技术等发明和进步，不只招致饥饿、过度疲劳、贫困化、道德败坏等社会问题，而且造成“物质力量”反过来统治、压迫“人的生命”的异化现象。高喊着“人类解放”的资产阶级以看似自由平等的买卖关系掩盖对无产阶级的沉重剥削与压迫，背离文明的属人性与为人性。在世界范围内，资产阶级还以掠夺、奴役、杀戮等反文明手段开展侵略行径，导致全球贫富差距扩大、世界经济危机、全球环境危机等灾难，还以自我为中心构建了“支配—从属”的“文明”世界格局。

Marx and Engels were not only critics and inheritors of capitalist civilization, but also predictors and constructors of a new form of civilization, namely the prospect of communist civilization. First, communist civilization resolves the contradiction between the socialization of production and the private appropriation of the means of production in capitalism; its primary characteristic lies in the social ownership and control of all means of production and the planned regulation of social production. Under public ownership that conforms to the social nature of the productive forces, the productive forces achieve immense growth, and the springs of collective wealth flow abundantly. Second, the commodity economy will be replaced by a product economy, and the products of labor will become the common property of all working people. After making various deductions, society will directly distribute the products of labor to the workers according to the principle of “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” Furthermore, under the social ownership of the means of production and the distribution according to need of the products of labor, classes based on the possession of things, along with their exploitation and oppression, will cease to exist. With the disappearance of classes, the state, as an instrument of class rule, will wither away of its own accord. Finally, as the destination and manifestation of civilization development, communist individuals will achieve free and comprehensive development. This communist civilization is the inevitable result of the transformation of history into world history, and its prospect will become the ideal realm of world civilization development, demonstrating world-historical significance.

马克思恩格斯不仅是资本主义文明的批判者与继承者，还是新文明形态即共产主义文明图景的预见者与建构者。首先，共产主义文明解决了资本主义生产社会化与生产资料私人占有的矛盾，其第一特征即在于由社会占有和支配全部生产资料、有计划地调节社会生产。在合乎生产力社会本性的公有制下，生产力获得极大增长、集体财富的源泉充分涌现。其次，商品经济将被产品经济所取代，劳动产品成为全体劳动者的共同财产。在做各项扣除之后，依据“各尽所能，按需分配”的原则，社会将劳动财产直接分配给劳动者。再者，生产资料的社会占有与劳动产品的按需分配之下，凭借物的占有而产生的阶级及其剥削与压迫将不复存在，随着阶级的消失，作为阶级统治工具的国家将自行消亡。最后，作为文明发展的归宿与表现，共产主义个人将实现自由全面发展。这一共产主义文明是历史向世界历史转变的必然结果，其图景将成为世界文明发展的理想境界、展现出世界历史性意义。

The creation and development of the new form of human civilization is a sublation and transcendence of capitalist civilization. This sublation and transcendence is concentratedly embodied in stimulating the “great civilizing role of capital” while adhering to the basic socialist economic system. Marx and Engels regarded the question of ownership as the fundamental question of the communist movement. They recognized that it is precisely the “protection” of capital by capitalist private ownership that leads to a general crisis of civilization. But they also recognized that capital is conducive to the creation of various elements for a new, higher form. It can be seen that, because the level of development of the productive forces has not yet been fully manifested, in developing the new form of human civilization in the primary stage of socialism, on the one hand, it is necessary to always uphold and improve the basic socialist economic system and firmly adhere to the “two unswervinglys” [4]4 The “two unswervinglys” (两个毫不动摇) refers to the policy of unswervingly consolidating and developing the public sector of the economy, and unswervingly encouraging, supporting, and guiding the development of the non-public sector.. The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC also once again uses the “two unswervinglys” to clearly emphasize the correctness and long-term nature of the basic socialist economic system. On the other hand, in economic work, attention must also be paid to regulating and guiding capital, promoting its benefits and avoiding its harms, so that capital submits to and serves the development of civilization. Regulating and guiding the healthy development of capital requires concrete work through multiple methods, channels, and levels. Among these, the most important is the necessity of upholding the leadership of the Party and the socialist system, which are respectively the fundamental guarantee and institutional foundation for the healthy development of capital.

人类文明新形态的创造与发展是对资本主义文明的扬弃与超越，这种扬弃与超越集中体现为在坚持社会主义基本经济制度中激发“资本的伟大的文明作用”。马克思恩格斯把所有制问题视作共产主义运动的基本问题。他们认识到正是由于资本主义私有制对资本的“庇护”，才招致普遍的文明危机。但他们也认识到资本有利于更高级的新形态的各种要素的创造。由此可见，由于生产力发展水平尚未充分展现，在社会主义初级阶段发展人类文明新形态，一方面必须始终坚持和完善社会主义基本经济制度，坚定“两个毫不动摇”。党的二十大报告也再次以“两个毫不动摇”明确强调社会主义基本经济制度的正确性与长期性。另一方面，还要在经济工作中注重对资本规范引导与趋利避害，使资本服从并服务于文明发展。规范与引导资本健康发展需要多方式、多途径、多层次地具体开展工作。其中，最重要的是必须坚持党的领导与社会主义制度，这分别是资本得以健康发展的根本保证与制度基础。

IV. The “Revolution-Civilization” Thesis: Analyzing the Movement of the Basic Contradictions of Society and Gaining Insight into the Development Path of Future Civilization

四、“革命一文明”论：剖析社会基本矛盾运动，洞察未来文明的发展路径

The dialectics of history provided Marx and Engels with the intellectual guidance for analyzing the inherent paradox of capitalist civilization; this dialectics is critical and revolutionary. Its critical and revolutionary nature is embodied not only in the realm of speculation but also runs through practical reality, requiring the transformation of the existing world as the fundamental path to achieve the value aim of human emancipation, revealing the “revolution-civilization” thesis that points to the development path of future civilization.

历史的辩证法为马克思恩格斯剖析资本主义文明的内在悖论提供了思维指导，这种辩证法是批判的和革命的。其批判与革命本性既体现在思辨领域更贯穿于现实实践，要求以变革现存世界为根本途径达成实现人类解放的价值旨归，揭示了指明未来文明发展路径的“革命—文明”论。

Revolution is the basic means for the establishment and development of communist civilization. This is determined by the law of motion of the fundamental social contradiction. Once the relations of production come into contradiction with the productive forces, the development of the productive forces is fettered by the old relations of production, and the productive forces themselves give rise to the demand to destroy the old relations of production. In the period of capitalist civilization, due to the rapid development of the productive forces, this fetter becomes tighter, and this demand becomes more urgent. But the bourgeoisie does not actively adapt to the demand of the socialization of production by transforming the system of private ownership of the means of production; on the contrary, it relies on its formidable economic strength and political power to further consolidate the old relations of production. Thus, in class society, the proletariat, oppressed by the old relations of production and representing the new productive forces, can only overthrow the rule of the bourgeoisie through revolutionary means, change the nature of political power, enable society to enter a new social formation, and promote the development of the productive forces. In the perspective of Marx and Engels, “revolution” includes both the form of violent revolution and the form of peaceful revolution, both of which take the realization of the dictatorship of the proletariat as their direct goal. After establishing the political rule of the proletariat and eliminating the old relations of production, in order to further liberate and develop the productive forces, the proletariat shifts its focus to social revolution centered on adjusting and developing new relations of production and reforming the socio-economic and political system.

革命是共产主义文明建立与发展的基本手段。这是由社会基本矛盾运动规律决定的。一旦生产关系与生产力发生矛盾，生产力发展便受到旧生产关系桎梏，生产力自身便生发出摧毁旧生产关系的诉求。在资本主义文明时期，由于生产力的急剧发展，这种桎梏更紧实，这种诉求也更迫切。但资产阶级并不主动适应生产社会化的诉求而转变生产资料私人占有制，反倒凭借其雄厚的经济实力和政治权力进一步巩固旧的生产关系。这样，在阶级社会中，受旧有生产关系压迫、代表着新兴生产力的无产阶级，只能通过革命途径推翻资产阶级统治，改变政权性质，使社会步入新的社会形态，推动生产力发展。在马克思恩格斯的视域中，“革命”既有暴力革命形式也有和平革命形式，二者皆以实现无产阶级专政为直接目标。在建立无产阶级的政治统治、消除旧的生产关系之后，为进一步解放和发展生产力，无产阶级将重点转向以调整与发展新的生产关系、改革社会经济政治制度为核心的社会革命。

Revolutionary action requires the organization and leadership of a political party; the proletarian party is the organizational force for the establishment and development of communist civilization. With the development of large-scale capitalist industry, social classes are simply split into the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The bourgeoisie, by virtue of its economic power, rises to become the ruling class, seeking to maximize its economic interests through the exploitation and oppression of the proletariat. The contradictory movement between the productive forces and the relations of production becomes increasingly intense, and the class struggle between the proletariat, representing the new productive forces, and the bourgeoisie, which controls the old relations of production, becomes increasingly acute. The proletariat consciously organizes itself into a political party in the course of class struggle. The reason why the proletarian party is the organizational force for the establishment and development of communist civilization is not only that it represents the advanced productive forces and conforms to the forward direction of historical development, but also that it is determined by the practical needs of revolution, the political program of the party, and its advanced characteristics. When the objective conditions for the leap to a new civilization are already in place, the proletarian party can not only put forward correct revolutionary strategies and tasks, lead the masses in organized revolution, change the social nature of civilization, and lay the material foundation for the development of civilization; it can also, through education and agitation, raise the revolutionary consciousness of the masses, unite and organize them to join the revolutionary action of transforming civilization.

革命的行动需要政党的组织与引领，无产阶级政党是建立与发展共产主义文明的组织力量。随着资本主义大工业发展，社会阶级简单分裂为资产阶级和无产阶级。资产阶级因其经济力量上升为统治阶级，以剥削与压迫无产阶级谋得最大化经济利益。生产力与生产关系的矛盾运动日益剧烈，代表着新生产力的无产阶级与掌控着旧生产关系的资产阶级之间的阶级斗争也就日益激烈，无产阶级在阶级斗争中自觉组织成为政党。无产阶级政党之所以是建立与发展共产主义文明的组织力量，不仅是因为其代表先进生产力，合乎历史发展的前进方向，而且由革命现实需要、政党的政治纲领及其先进特性所决定。当新文明跃升的客观形势已经具备之时，无产阶级政党不仅能提出正确的革命策略和任务，引领群众开展有组织的革命，改变文明的社会性质与奠定文明发展的物质基础；而且能通过教育和鼓动的形式提升群众的革命觉悟，团结和组织群众投身变革文明的革命行动。

The Marxist political party and its revolutionary practice are the organizational force and basic means for the establishment and development of a new form of human civilization. From the perspective of the historical transformation of China’s civilizational form, under the guidance of Marxism, the Communist Party of China discerned the particularity of the modern transformation of Chinese civilization. First, by means of political revolution, it achieved national independence and the liberation of the people through the New Democratic Revolution, providing the fundamental social conditions for the establishment of a new form of human civilization. Then, in the course of socialist revolution, construction, and reform, it turned to and initiated the great social revolution of reform and opening up, blazed the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and created the two miracles of “rapid economic development” and “long-term social stability.” To enrich and develop the new form of human civilization, it is necessary to always uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China, so that the Party’s core leadership role of “exercising overall leadership and coordinating all efforts” [5]5 A standard formulation describing the leadership role of the CPC Central Committee, emphasizing its authority to coordinate all sectors and regions. continues to exist and is fully exerted in the future field of civilizational development. On the other hand, it is necessary to persist in comprehensively deepening reform, centering on the overall goal of “improving and developing the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity.” [6]6 The overarching goal of comprehensively deepening reform, as set forth at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in 2013. Starting from transforming the institutional mechanisms of the relations of production and the superstructure, while making various systems more mature and well-defined, we must better transform institutional advantages into national governance effectiveness, providing institutional support for the liberation and development of the social productive forces.

马克思主义政党及其革命实践，是人类文明新形态建立与发展的组织力量与基本手段。就中国文明形态变革的历史来看，在马克思主义的指导下，中国共产党洞悉中华文明现代转型的特殊性，首先以政治革命的手段，通过新民主主义革命实现民族独立与人民解放，为人类文明新形态的建立提供了根本的社会条件；又在社会主义革命、建设与改革的历程中转向与开启改革开放伟大社会革命，开辟中国特色社会主义道路，创造出“经济快速发展”与“社会长期稳定”两大奇迹。丰富和发展人类文明新形态，必须始终坚持中国共产党的领导，使党“总揽全局、协调各方”的领导核心作用在文明发展的未来场域中既延续存在又充分发挥。另一方面要坚持全面深化改革，围绕“完善和发展中国特色社会主义制度、推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化”这一总目标，从变革生产关系和上层建筑的体制机制出发，在推动各方面制度更加成熟更加定型的同时，把制度优势更好转化为国家治理效能，为解放和发展社会生产力提供制度支撑。

V. Conclusion

五、结语

Guided by Marx and Engels’ reflection, sublation, and transcendence of the direction of capitalist modern civilization, the Communist Party of China has correctly found a modernization plan suited to its own national conditions. Standing at the commanding height of drawing on the wisdom of Western capitalist modernization, it has inaugurated a new form of human civilization that sublates capitalist modern civilization and is grounded in human society. This new civilizational order is an intrinsic unity of national character and global character, possessing exemplary and transmissible qualities. It not only presents internally as the tangible result of national prosperity, national rejuvenation, and the people’s happiness, but also inherits the ancient Chinese civilization’s principle of living in harmony with all nations and the social ideal of a commonwealth for all under heaven. It aims to provide rich nourishment for all nations and peoples to explore diverse modernities and promote the harmonious coexistence of human civilizations, using its civilizational development code.

在马克思恩格斯反思、扬弃与超越资本主义现代性文明路向的导引下，中国共产党正确找到符合本国实际的现代化方案，在汲取西方资本主义现代化智慧的制高点上，开创了扬弃资本主义现代文明、立足人类社会的人类文明新形态。这一新文明秩序是民族性与世界性的内在统一，具有典范性和传递性，不仅对内呈现为国家富强、民族复兴与人民幸福的现实结果，而且传承古代中华文明协和万邦的处世准则与天下大同的社会理想，旨在以其文明发展密码为各民族国家探索多元的现代性、促进人类文明和合共生提供丰厚滋养。

Source: *Teaching and Research* of Renmin University of China, September 13, 2024

文章来源：《人大教学与研究》2024年9月13日

Online Editor: Jing Mu

网络编辑：静穆