The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Marxism: Marxism – method of socioeconomic analysis that analyzes class relations and societal conflict using a materialist interpretation of historical development and a dialectical view of social transformation. It originates from the mid-to-late 19th century works of German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. According to Marxist perspective, class conflict caused the progression of a society from capitalist to socialist to communist. Marxism has since developed into different branches and schools of thought, and there is now no single definitive Marxist theory.