This chapter examines Marx’s theoretical preparation for transitioning from the concept of “alienated labor” to the full establishment of the materialist view of history. The chapter centers on “Draft of an Article on Friedrich List’s Book The National System of Political Economy” and Theses on Feuerbach. Through his study of political economy, Marx moves beyond the notion of alienated labor to analyze the historical role of labor, critiquing List’s abstraction of productive forces as a spiritual force and instead emphasizing their material nature, while also revealing the link between the development of productive forces and exploitation under capitalism. In Theses on Feuerbach, practice emerges as the core concept, with Marx asserting that “social life is essentially practical.” By integrating practice into the historical perspective, he underscores that social laws are rooted in human practical activity and criticizes Feuerbach’s neglect of practice, which leads to historical idealism. Marx rejects Feuerbach’s approach of seeking man’s species-being in isolated individuals, proposing instead that the human essence is determined by the totality of social relations. He emphasizes that individuals belong to specific social formations, and their attributes evolve with changes in social relations, thereby laying the foundation for the materialist view of history.