Historical determinism is the stance that events are historically predetermined or currently constrained by various forces. Historical determinism can be understood in contrast to its negation, i.e. the rejection of historical determinism.
Some political philosophies (e.g. Early and Stalinist Marxism) assert a historical materialism of either predetermination or constraint, or both.
Used as a pejorative, it is normally meant to designate an overdetermination of present possibilities by historical conditions.
References
Historical determinism Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA