Historical determinism

Historical determinism is the belief that events in history are entirely determined or constrained by various prior forces and, therefore, in a certain sense, inevitable. It is thus the philosophical view, determinism, as applied to the process by which history unfolds or to the direction in which history unfolds. Historical determinism can be understood in contrast to its negation, i.e. the rejection of historical determinism.

Some political philosophies (e.g. Stalinism, Maoism and Marxism), assert a historical materialism of either predetermination or constraint, or both, which later thinkers have interpreted to be a form of historical determinism.

Used as a pejorative, it is normally meant to designate a rigid finalist or mechanist conception of historical unfolding that makes the future appear as an inevitable and predetermined result of the past.