Abstract: In recent years, academia has increasingly emphasized Max Stirner’s role in Karl Marx’s intellectual development, giving rise to a tendency to overstate his influence—dubbed the “Stirner Impact”. This view posits that Stirner’s critique forms the original thesis of The German Ideology and inspires Marx to transcend Ludwig Feuerbach, culminating in the creation of historical materialism. However, based on the manuscript history of The German Ideology, the text H^5a (predating H¹¹, the critique of Stirner) represents the earliest expression of historical materialism. Marx never identified Stirner as a primary antagonist after publishing The Holy Family, nor could he had commenced writing H¹¹ prior to the release of Volume 3 of the Wigands Vierteljahrsschrift. Thus, the original thesis of The German Ideology cannot be attributed to Stirner’s critique. Regarding the central thesis of The German Ideology, i.e. the establishment of historical materialism, Marx’s pivotal breakthrough in transcending Feuerbach owes more to Hess than to Stirner. Furthermore, Hess also guided Marx in critiquing Stirner by surpassing his own framework. If there is one who impacts or rather enlightens Marx, it was Hess. Rejecting the “Stirner Impact” narrative does not negate Stirner’s role; Marx’s historical materialism evolved organically, with Stirner’s significance lying in his nihilistic rejection of all universality—a critical foil for Marx’s defense of communism’s value dimension. A critical exam of the “Stirner Impact” clarifies Marx’s relationship with the Young Hegelians and scientifically reconstructs the philosophical revolution underlying the creation of historical materialism.

Key words: “Stirner Impact”, Marx, Hess, Histiorical Materialism, The German Ideology