历史唯物主义是马克思恩格斯哲学思想的重要组成部分。马克思恩格斯的哲学思想是在批判地吸收黑格尔哲学的基础上逐渐发展成熟。想要真正理解黑格尔历史哲学，就必须深入研究其方法论基础，即概念辩证法。正是在反思与超越黑格尔概念辩证法的基础上，马克思恩格斯提出了基于生产辩证法的历史唯物主义。对黑格尔概念辩证法及其与马克思恩格斯生产辩证法之间关系的深入研究，是全面彰显马克思历史唯物主义本真精神的必由之路。黑格尔认为，真正的哲学必须是能够表达事物的真实本性的客观思想，但此前的所有哲学都未能达到这一要求：旧形而上学的抽象思维规定不能表达具体的总体；经验主义不具有客观内在的真理性；康德的批判哲学对于理性对象缺乏具体的规定；直接知识论中介性的缺乏导致其无法深入本质。在对此前的哲学进行批判与超越的基础上，黑格尔提出了作为本体论、认识论与方法论相统一的概念辩证法，致力于在概念由其自身内部矛盾所导致的辩证运动过程中把握客观思想。概念在世界历史中表现为从外化逐渐返回自身的客观精神，精神对自身自由原则的领会则构成了历史的目的，人类的热情则是实现这一目的的手段。精神在世界历史中采取的形态是蕴蓄在国家宪法中的民族精神，历史的过程可以据此被划分为东方世界、希腊世界、罗马世界和日耳曼世界四个阶段。总体而言，基于概念辩证法，黑格尔虽然摒弃了用抽象的形而上学思维框架剪裁历史的做法，将历史演化的动力归于概念的内部矛盾，但由于思辨哲学体系的限制，他的精神史观仍然存在逻辑强制历史、个体的消融与历史终结论等理论局限。马克思恩格斯一方面继承了黑格尔辩证的思维方式，将历史发展视作一个具有矛盾性、否定性、过程性、进步性和必然性的有机总体；另一方面通过揭示黑格尔思辨概念产生的现实根源，将辩证法从思辨概念体系中拯救出来，提出了基于现实的个人的生产实践活动的生产辩证法，真正实现了革命性与现实性统一。基于生产辩证法，马克思恩格斯创立了历史唯物主义，将历史的发展视作由生产力和生产关系的矛盾运动推动的、以物质生产实践活动中作为社会关系总和的现实的个人为主体的所有制变迁过程。由此，马克思恩格斯真正克服了黑格尔历史哲学由于受思辨体系的窒息所导致的困境，不仅在理论层面上达成了逻辑与历史的统一，把握到了现实历史的内在规律；而且详细阐释了无产阶级革命的现实基础和自由人联合体的建构路径，在现实层面上为个人自由的真正实现指明了道路。
Hegel‘s philosophy of history is a crucial object of transcendence in the formation of historical materialism. In Hegel‘s philosophical system, dialectical logic is the lifeblood and soul of his entire philosophy. Therefore, to truly understand Hegel‘s philosophy of history, it is necessary to deeply study the methodological basis of the dialectics of concepts. It is through the reflection and transcendence of Hegelian dialectics that Marx and Engels established historical materialism based on the dialectics of production. A thorough study of the relationship between Hegelian dialectics and Marx-Engels‘ dialectics of production is a crucial link in fully demonstrating the true spirit of historical materialism.Hegel believed that true philosophy must be objective thinking that expresses the true nature of things. However, all previous philosophies had failed to achieve this goal. Old metaphysics used abstract thinking, which, in its reflection, sets the norm and judgment of proposition form and cannot express the concrete totality. Empiricism relies on pure habits and lacks objective internal truth. Kant‘s critical philosophy only remains in the empty self-sameness of rational objects and lacks concrete specifications. Direct knowledge theory lacks intermediacy, which makes it unable to delve into the essential level. On the basis of criticizing and surpassing previous philosophies, Hegel proposed the concept of dialectics, which unifies ontology, epistemology, and methodology. He aims to grasp objective thinking in the process of dialectical movement caused by internal contradictions in concepts. Concepts in world history are gradually manifested as the objective spirit returning to itself from externalization. The comprehension of the free principle of the spirit forms the purpose of history, and human passion is the means to achieve this purpose. The form adopted by the spirit in world history is the national spirit stored in the constitution, and the process of history can be divided into four stages: the Eastern world, the Greek world, the Roman world, and the Germanic world. Although Hegel based his philosophy on dialectical concepts and rejected the practice of cutting history with an abstract metaphysical thinking framework, due to the limitations of his speculative philosophical system, his theory of the history of spirit still has some theoretical limitations, such as the logical compulsion of history, the assimilation of individuals, and the final conclusion of history.Marx and Engels inherited Hegel‘s revolutionary dimension of dialectical thinking, regarding historical development as an organic totality with contradictions, processes, and inevitability. They also rescued dialectics from the speculative conceptual system by revealing the real roots of Hegelian speculative concepts. They put forward the dialectics of production that is based on the personal practical activity of real production as a prerequisite. Based on the dialectics of production, Marx and Engels established historical materialism, which views historical development as a process of change in ownership driven by the movement of contradictions between productive forces and social relations. Thus, Marx and Engels overcame the theoretical and actual dilemmas caused by the stifling of the Hegelian philosophy of history by the conceptual system. They not only achieved the unity of logic and history in the theoretical aspect and grasped the internal laws of actual history, but also elaborated on the real foundation of the proletarian revolution and the implementation path of the union of free individuals. They pointed out the way to the true realization of individual freedom in the practical aspect.
