▁of ▁history ' ▁in ▁opposition ▁to ▁' ide al ist ' ▁conception s ▁of ▁history ; ▁that ▁of ▁Georg ▁Wilhelm ▁Friedrich ▁H eg el , ▁for ▁instance . ▁' The ▁first ▁prem ise ▁of ▁all ▁human ▁history ▁is , ▁of ▁course , ▁the ▁existence ▁of ▁living ▁human ▁individuals . ▁Thus ▁the ▁first ▁fact ▁to ▁be ▁established ▁is ▁the ▁physical ▁organisation ▁of ▁these ▁individuals ▁and ▁their ▁consequ ent ▁relation ▁to ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁nature .' ▁Thus ▁' History ▁does ▁nothing , ▁it ▁“ poss esses ▁no ▁immense ▁wealth ”, ▁it ▁“ w ages ▁no ▁batt les ”. ▁It ▁is ▁man , ▁real , ▁living ▁man ▁who ▁does ▁all ▁that , ▁who ▁poss esses ▁and ▁f ights ; ▁“ history ” ▁is ▁not , ▁as ▁it ▁were , ▁a ▁person ▁apart , ▁using ▁man ▁as ▁a ▁means ▁to ▁achieve ▁its ▁own ▁a ims ; ▁history ▁is ▁nothing ▁but ▁the ▁activity ▁of ▁man ▁purs uing ▁his ▁a ims '. ▁So ▁we ▁can ▁see ▁that , ▁even ▁before ▁we ▁begin ▁to ▁consider ▁the ▁precise ▁character ▁of ▁human ▁nature , ▁' real , ▁living ' ▁humans , ▁' the ▁activity ▁of ▁man ▁purs uing ▁his ▁a ims ' ▁is ▁the ▁very ▁building ▁block ▁of ▁Marx ' s ▁theory ▁of ▁history . ▁ ▁Hum ans ▁act ▁upon ▁the ▁world , ▁changing ▁it ▁and ▁themselves ; ▁and ▁in ▁doing ▁so ▁they ▁' make ▁history '. ▁However , ▁even ▁beyond ▁this , ▁human ▁nature ▁plays ▁two ▁key ▁roles . ▁In ▁the ▁first ▁place , ▁it ▁is ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁explanation ▁for