Michael Apple's "Ideology and Curriculum", published in 1979, helped initiate a broad turn in the field of education in the United States to Marxist thought as a lens through which to analyze the relationship between school and society. This classic text continues to inform scholarship in the field. While "Ideology" has received considerable attention, less explored is Apple's scholarship that precedes "Ideology". Structured by a chronological reading of articles republished in "Ideology", this historical essay sheds new light on Apple's initial formulation of a critical approach to education. In particular, the essay reveals a significant shift in Apple's Marxist influences, from the work of Alvin Gouldner, Trent Schroyer, and Jurgen Habermas in the first half of the 1970s to work in the British New Sociology of Education (NSE) and the ideas of Antonio Gramsci in the second half. In addition to illuminating our understanding of Apple's thought and the history of the field, the essay suggests that reflecting on the intellectual history of the field can help us develop rigorous theory and nuanced analytical tools that enable us to critically examine the social order and push toward radical social change. (Contain 20 notes.)