Letter: Llorente v. Schaeffer
Written By: Abner Dalrymple Read By: Will Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.
Feb 23, 2024•6 min
Cosmopod
Cosmopod is the official podcast of Cosmonaut Magazine, a project dedicated to expanding the project of scientific socialism in the 21st Century. In our feed we have a combination of podcast episodes and audio articles from our website.
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Episodes
Gene Bruskin: A Life in the Labor Movement
Aliyah VanPelt and Cliff Connolly sit down with longtime organizer Gene Bruskin to get his advice and hear stories from his time in the movement, including with US Labor Against the War.
Feb 20, 2024•2 hr 5 min
The Korean Miracle’s Rural Legacy
Alex Witherspoon, Yu Zhou, and Alle Fang give an account of socialist agriculture in rural North Korea, arguing that the difficulties faced by the country’s economy have been primarily caused by deteriorating trade conditions. Read By: Allen Lanterman Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.
Feb 15, 2024•33 min
The Mexican Revolution
Amelia, Carlos and Rudy sit down to discuss the revolutionary period of Mexico in the decade of 1910. We talk about the Porfiriato period which led up to the revolution, the conjecture which led to the events of 1910, the three stages of the revolutionary wars, and the diverse factions acting in each stage. We discuss the relevant figures of the revolution, including Francisco Madero, Emilio Zapata, Pancho Villa, the Flores Magón brothers, as well as the ultimate victors in the Sonora clan. We a...
Feb 12, 2024•1 hr 37 min
Seeds of Power: The Global Food System and The Green Revolution with Raj Patel
Rudy joins Raj Patel for a discussion on the global food system. We discuss how food serves as a powerful educational tool , the paradox of global hunger amidst food abundance and obesity , linking it to the systemic issues in food production and consumption. We discuss producers, vendors and how supermarkets dictate what is cultivated and sold. We also talk about Raj's work on the Long Green Revolution , challenging the conventional view of the Green Revolution as a historical event and present...
Feb 05, 2024•52 min
Just Another Kautsky Fan
Interpreting Stalin’s fledgling revolutionary career through his later status as a brutal labor dictator obscures an early whole-hearted admiration for the works of Kautsky and Lenin. By Lawrence Parker. Read By Luke Pickrell Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.
Feb 01, 2024•34 min
Captives: the History of Rikers Island and New York City with Jarrod Shanahan
Isaac and Jack join Jarrod Shanahan, an activist, educator, and the author of Captives: How Rikers Island Took New York City Hostage , for a wide-ranging conversation. We cover the last 70 years of New York City's political history from the lens of the city's jails. We discuss the various actors fighting for control in the city: the politicians and bureaucrats responsible for the administration of jails, the repressive jailers and their corrupt labor union, the revolutionary social movements str...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 39 min
Citizen Marx: Republicanism and the Formation of Karl Marx’s Social and Political Thought with Bruno Leipold
Donald and Luke talk with Bruno Leipold about his forthcoming book, Citizen Marx: Republicanism and the Formation of Karl Marx’s Social and Political Thought . Bruno touches on several topics including English Chartism, democratic republicanism, national constitutions, and the political development Marx and Engels’s over the years. Bruno emphasizes the democratic republican foundation of Marxism and why it needs to be rediscovered.
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr 30 min
Solidarność and the Polish People's Republic
Chas, James, and Rudy delve into the history of the Polish People's Republic in this episode, focusing on the influential Solidarity movement. They explore communism's roots in Poland from the interwar period to WWII, highlighting the challenges posed by the Soviet invasion. The conversation covers the post-WWII liberation, the establishment of the Polish nation-state, and the diverse governmental shifts leading up to the 1980s. They also discuss how Solidarity emerges from the Workers' Defense ...
Jan 04, 2024•1 hr 56 min
The Algerian Revolution II (1965-99): Developmentalism, Marketization and War
Rob, Eric and Rudy continue their discussion of the Algerian revolution from the fall of Ben Bella to the end of the Black Decade (known in the West as the Algerian Civil War). We discuss the starting point of Boumedienne's government, the agrarian reform and the developmentalist program undertaken in industry, as well as the internal divisions of the FLN during this period which led to widespread sabotage of this developmentalist program. We then talk about Boumedienne's death, and the change i...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Endless Muddle
Renzo Llorente critically responds to Gil Schaeffer’s views on democratic rights and socialism. Read By: Will Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.
Dec 07, 2023•35 min
Inside the CR-CPUSA/Red Guards: Cults, Violence and the Left
Gus, Donald and Isaac join Esra, author of the webside CR-CPUSA Exposed: Hub for Information and Recovery for a discussion on their experience inside the Committee to Reconstitute the Communist Party of the USA, also known as the Red Guards. We go into a lot of detail on how the CR-CPUSA operated, how it related to its locals and how it was basically centered around the personality of Jared Roark, also knon as Comrade Dallas. We talk about how the CR-CPUSA came to dissolve by a process initiated...
Nov 27, 2023•2 hr 1 min
Commune or Nothing!: Venezuela’s Communal Movement with Chris Gilbert
Rudy and Christian join Chris Gilbert for a discussion on his new book Commune or Nothing! Venezuela’s Communal Movement and its Socialist Project . We cover the history of the Venezuelan communal project, and how it relates to previous attempts of the government to build a socialist economy including the Venezuelan cooperative movement or the drive to build state-run industry. We discuss the ideas of István Mészáros on how the commune centers the communal control of the labor process, and attem...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 47 min
A Participant's History of the Students for a Democratic Society with Gil Schaeffer
Luke joins Gil Shaeffer, a former member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and author of " You Can’t Use Weatherman to Show Which Way the Wind Blew ” to talk about the SDS, the New Left, and the centrality of democratic republicanism to Marxism. Gil discusses his path to joining SDS in the late 1960s, the impact of figures like C Wright Mills, the little-remembered March on Fort Dix, and the meaning of “participatory democracy.” He explains how SDS and the New Left are presented in popu...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 27 min
Race, Class and the Zionist State
Gus Breslauer responds to Angry Workers of the World on the issue of Palestine and Zionism. There is no path “around” Intifada, the working class must go in-and-through it. Read by: Will Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.
Oct 19, 2023•30 min
Between Market and Plan: the Soviet Union in the Era of the NEP
Donald, Christian, and Connor sit down to discuss the political economic conditions of the Soviet Union during the period of the New Economic Policy. Over the course of the episode, they cover War Communism, the intellectual currents and debates within the Party, the importance of the peasant question, the geopolitics of isolation, and the NEP’s long term viability. References: R. C. Allen - Farm to Factory: A Reinterpretation of the Soviet Industrial Revolution V. Barnett - The Revolutionary Ru...
Oct 17, 2023•3 hr 2 min
The Wars of Reconstruction with Douglas Egerton
Luke joins Douglas Egerton, author of The Wars of Reconstruction: The Brief, Violent History of America's Most Progressive Era , for a conversation about an epoch-defining period in U.S. history. Drawing from the lives of lesser-known actors, Douglas details attempts to transform the foundation of society following the Civil War and the vociferous resistance to those changes. Douglas provides an overview of Reconstruction, the forces involved, and, crucially, the way in which the period has been...
Oct 02, 2023•1 hr 22 min
The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya with Matteo Capasso
Rudy joins Matteo Capasso, author of Everyday Politics in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for a discussion on Libya with a focus on the period from 1969 to 2011. We delves into Matteo's research on Libya, exploring the myths and stories surrounding Libya's history, aiming to dispel the notion of Qaddafi's authoritarianism and the concept of statelessness among the Libyan people. The conversation takes a historical journey, discussing the antecedents of the Libyan revolution, the formation of the "Jam...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 31 min
The Algerian Revolution I (1954-65): Decolonization, Self-Management and Internationalism
Rob, Eric and Rudy delve into the Algerian revolution, tracing its roots back to French colonization, through the liberation war, and the Ben Bella period. This first part of the discussion on Algeria explores the 19th-century French settlement of Algeria and the various phases of colonization. It also examines the impact of Algerian labor migration to France and its role in the liberation war. We provide insights into the National Liberation Front (FLN), highlighting its different factions and ...
Sep 13, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Democratic Rights and Socialism
Gil Schaeffer responds to Renzo Llorente’s “The Contradictions and Confusions of ‘Democratic Socialism” and argues that socialists need to base their politics on a coherent ethical theory of democratic rights. Read by: Will Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.
Sep 07, 2023•58 min
Migration as Economic Imperialism with Immanuel Ness
Rudy joins Immanuel Ness to discuss his recent work Migration as Economic Imperialism: How International Labour Mobility Undermines Economic Development in Poor Countries . We begin by explaining why migration is economic imperialism and addressing key questions about who migrates, their reasons, and destinations, highlighting evolving migration patterns. We explore how migration patterns are designed to meet labor demands and the role of recruitment agencies. Ness distinguishes between temporar...
Sep 04, 2023•1 hr 34 min
From Champion of the Oppressed to Truth, Justice, and the American Way: Who Took the Socialism Out of Superman?
Hank Kennedy traces the ideological history of Superman, arguing that the populism of the character’s early iterations would eventually be shed as a result of commercial interests. Read by: Keir Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.
Aug 31, 2023•24 min
A History of the Home and the Fight for Free Time with Helen Hester and Nick Srnicek
Rudy joins authors Helen Hester and Nick Srnicek to explore their latest book, After Work: A History of the Home and the Fight for Free Time . The conversation commences with a clear definition of domestic work, setting the stage for the book's unique perspective on this issue in contrast to other theoretical frameworks. The dialogue delves into 20th-century trends in household labor within the global North, with a special focus on Cowan's paradox. Additionally, the episode explores the realm of...
Aug 28, 2023•57 min
Marxism and the Democratic Republic
Luke Pickrell of Marxist Unity Group emphasizes the centrality of radical democracy to the communist project and reintroduces the construction of the democratic republic as the foundational political goal for socialists today. He emphatically asserts that if socialists are to defeat the tricephalic hydra of capitalist domination, we must aim for the heart – “the source and parent of all the other atrocities” – the US Constitution. Read by: Aliyah Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outr...
Aug 22, 2023•52 min
Marxist Unity Group & the Democratic Socialists of America’s National Convention
Amelia joins Amy, Steven, and Greg for a discussion centered around the Marxist Unity Group (MUG) in the aftermath of the recent Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) convention. Amy, who earned a seat on the National Political Committee (NPC) through her election at the convention, as well as the others provide an insider's perspective on the organization of DSA and the significance of the National Convention. The conversation delves into the inner workings of DSA, exploring its structural dyn...
Aug 21, 2023•1 hr 21 min
Czechoslovakia's Quest for Reform: Unraveling the Prague Spring
Chas, Christian, Rudy, and James come together to delve into a comprehensive conversation about the Prague Spring, a significant Czechoslovak reform movement. Their discussion begins by tracing the roots of Czechoslovak communism, recounting the post-World War II Communist ascension to power, and elaborating on the gradual and intricate reform drive that eventually culminated in Dubček's rise to leadership during the Prague Spring of 1968. Subsequently, they explore the ideologies championed by ...
Aug 14, 2023•2 hr 1 min
Labor Republicanism and the Freedom Question in 19th Century North America
Luke and Donald join Alexander Gourevitch, author of From Slavery to Cooperative Commonwealth: Labor and Republican Liberty in the 19th Century, for a wide-ranging discussion about the republican conception of freedom and how republicanism was taken up by workers in the United States. They begin by discussing older conceptions of freedom and slavery and how those ideas evolved. They consider the Workingmen’s Parties and the Knights of Labor as examples of ‘labor republicans’ who saw wage labor a...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 44 min
Nurturing Minds, Uniting Movements: Exploring Political Education in the Communist Movement
Jackson, Rudy and Steve sit down to talk about political education in the communist movement. They explore their personal experiences with education in both formal and political settings, highlighting the contrasting dynamics. Delving into the models of political education within a party, they emphasize the significance of cultivating a shared language and vision. The trio generously shares practical examples and tips for organizing engaging and diverse reading and study groups, ensuring a capti...
Jul 31, 2023•1 hr 12 min
There Is Never One Lamb Alone: On Finding Unity in Diversity
Splits and purges are no solution to the problem of disagreement in the socialist movement. Marisa Miale calls for unity in diversity in the context of the DSA. Read By: LC Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.
Jul 27, 2023•25 min
The Mexican Dirty War: From Cárdenas to Zapatismo with Adela Cedillo
Rudy joins Adela Cedillo, co-editor of Challenging Authoritarianism in Mexico Revolutionary Struggles and the Dirty War, 1964-1982 , and author of several studies on the Mexican dirty war such as El Fuego y El Silencio, Historia de las Fuerzas de Liberación Nacional Mexicanas (1969-1974) , for a conversation on this period of history. We discuss the mixed legacy of the Mexican revolution, the state of the left after the progressive presidency of Lazaro Cárdenas, the two periods in Mexican insurr...
Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 15 min
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