Final answer:
Karl Marx believed that economics is the driving force in human behavior and history, as evidenced in his works that highlight class struggles and the impact of economic bases on societal structures.
Step-by-step explanation:
Karl Marx, largely regarded as a revolutionary German philosopher and economist, posited that the primary driving force in human behavior and history is economics. In his seminal work, the Communist Manifesto, coauthored with Friedrich Engels, Marx introduced the concept of dialectical materialism. This framework suggests that material, real-world economic conflicts, particularly between different social classes, are the key drivers of societal change. Marx further developed the theory of historical materialism, where he argued that the economic base of a society forms its structure, upon which the political and cultural superstructure is built. This philosophy attributes societal transformations and revolutions to clashes between the ruling and oppressed classes within the economic structure, like the bourgeoisie owners and the proletariat workers.