ORIGINALLY RELEASED Aug 19, 2022 In this landmark episode, we sit down with the legendary Noam Chomsky and renowned historian Vijay Prashad to discuss their insightful new book, The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power. Exploring the aftermath of America's military engagements, Chomsky and Prashad illuminate the complexities of U.S. imperial ambitions, the consequences - moral and material - of foreign interventions, and the growing cracks in America's global dom...
May 21, 2025•1 hr 57 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED May 21, 2018 Professor of History at ASU, Alex Aviña , returns to RLR to discuss the Chilean coup of 1973. In this gripping episode, Alex and Breht delve deep into the tragic and pivotal events surrounding the Chilean Coup of 1973. Learn about Salvador Allende's courageous attempt to build democratic socialism, Augusto Pinochet's brutal dictatorship backed by US imperialism, and the CIA's covert operations to undermine and overthrow Chilean democracy. From the economic sabota...
May 20, 2025•1 hr 27 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Dec 21, 2021 Professor Adnan Husain , Medieval European and Middle Eastern Historian and Director of the School of Religion at Queens University, joins Breht to discuss the life of St. Francis of Assisi. Together they discuss St. Francis of Assisi's legacy within Christianity, nature mysticism, Imitatio Christi, Francis's meeting with the Sultan of Egypt, medieval Europe, Islam and Christianity, Franciscan Virtues, Ecology and Creation, The Canticle of the Sun, Pope Francis, ...
May 19, 2025•2 hr
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Mar 19, 2024 Alyson and Breht explain and explore Karl Marx's classic work "The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte." Together, they discuss Marx's incisive analysis of Louis Bonaparte's rise to power, the complex interplay between historical events and class struggle, and the profound insights into how revolutions unfold and regress. In the process, they delve into French history, the peasantry and lumpenproletariat, Bonapartism's relationship to modern Fascism, the role of the...
May 18, 2025•1 hr 38 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Dec 8, 2022 J. Moufawad Paul returns to the show to discuss his newest book " Politics in Command: A Taxonomy of Economism ". Together, Breht and JMP discuss what economism is, what Lenin's critique of it was, how it acts as a keystone of revisionism, its dialectical opposite "voluntarism", how they are tied to movementism, the necessity of a communist vanguard party, how economism distorts our understanding of class, the labor aristocracy, MLM analysis of modern China, Refou...
May 17, 2025•1 hr 18 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Sep 21, 2021 The one and only Hakim joins Breht to discuss the Iraq war from the perspective of Iraqis, the western left, Lenin, Reform AND Revolution, the importance of anti-imperialist struggle, contradictions and crises, the global south, etc. At the end, Hakim fields a bunch of common anti-socialist talking points and dismantles them one by one. This is a wide ranging and genuinely fun conversation with a great comrade and political educator! Subscribe to Hakim's YouTube ...
May 16, 2025•1 hr 45 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Mar 6, 2023 In this insightful episode, bestselling author and acclaimed literary critic China Miéville joins Breht to explore his newest book, "A Spectre, Haunting: On The Communist Manifesto." Together, they examine the enduring literary power and historical significance of Marx and Engels' groundbreaking text, unpacking its vibrant prose and revolutionary fervor. They also delve into the historical circumstances surrounding its creation and discuss its growing contemporary...
May 15, 2025•1 hr
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Aug 23, 2020 In this fascinating episode Nick Estes , Historian, author of "Our History is the Future" and co-founder of The Red Nation, joins Breht to discuss the history and legacy of the American Indian Movement, including the history of indigenous resistance in America, the origins and ideology of AIM, the Siege of Wounded Knee in 1973, the FBI's COINTELPRO, the Reign of Terror, and SO much more. Essential listening for anyone eager to understand Indigenous liberation mov...
May 14, 2025•2 hr 44 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Jul 24, 2019 This is a re-upload of an episode we did with Michael Brooks, who tragically passed away in 2020 at the age of 36. Michael's impact lives on and we humbly carry on his radical spirit of loving kindness, compassion, proletarian internationalism, and genuine existential decency. More than anything, we honor and carry on his spirit of Revolutionary Love. "Be ruthless toward systems, but be kind to people." - Michael Brooks Rest in Power and Peace, Michael. Check out...
May 13, 2025•2 hr 2 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Oct 11, 2018 In this episode, Alyson joins Breht to do a dive deep into Vladimir Lenin's State and Revolution , one of the most important texts in Marxist political theory. We break down Lenin's core arguments about the state as an instrument of class rule, the necessity of smashing the bourgeois state rather than reforming it, and the vision of a transitional workers' state on the path to communism. We also discuss the historical context of 1917, how Lenin draws from Marx an...
May 12, 2025•1 hr 39 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Oct 12, 2019 In this episode, I sit down with author and illustrator Kate Evans to discuss her powerful graphic biography Red Rosa , which vividly brings to life the story of revolutionary Marxist thinker Rosa Luxemburg. We explore Luxemburg's radical politics, her commitment to internationalism and anti-militarism, and the challenges she faced as a Jewish woman in the male-dominated socialist movements of her time. Kate shares her creative process behind the book, how she tr...
May 11, 2025•57 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Nov 13, 2017 Dr. Thoreau Redcrow is an American academic with a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis with a concentration in Global Conflict. Thoreau is a researcher who specializes in studying armed guerrilla movements, and who has over a decade of experience studying the life and legacy of Che Guevara. His prior investigations into Che's biography have taken him to Cuba to speak to those who knew and fought alongside Che, as well as to other arenas around the world which have been in...
May 10, 2025•1 hr 34 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Jun 18, 2021 Kristen R. Ghodsee returns to the show, this time to discuss the life, work, and legacy of the famous Marxist Feminist Alexandra Kollontai. We discuss her life, her radicalization, her relationship with other famous revolutionaries, her role in the October Revolution, her enduring contributions to feminism, Marxism, and proletarian history, and much, much more. Check out Kristen's work here: https://kristenghodsee.com/ Check out AK-47, Kristen's podcast dedicated...
May 09, 2025•1 hr 21 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Mar 10, 2023 In this episode of Guerrilla History, we bring on two fantastic guests, Prof. Charisse Burden-Stelly and Prof. Jodi Dean. We discuss their co-edited collection, Organize, Fight, Win: Black Communist Women's Political Writing , which is an absolutely indispensable resource for those of us serious about achieving liberation! This collection includes writings focused on the period from 1919-1956, which argue that racial and economic equality can only be achieved by ...
May 08, 2025•1 hr 31 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Apr 13, 2023 In this unlocked patreon episode, Breht, Adnan, and Henry from Guerrilla History discuss their thoughts on the relationship between religion and Marxism, how Marxists today might think differently about religion compared to Marxists 100 years ago, religion and spirituality as a terrain of struggle for the Left, how to think about science vs. religion, the material basis of religion, what form the religious impulse might take under communism, demystification and m...
May 07, 2025•1 hr 4 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Feb 12, 2020 In this episode, Jon Greenaway and Brenden Leahy return to the show and join Breht to explore the life, thought, and revolutionary legacy of Antonio Gramsci—the Italian Marxist theorist who redefined how we understand power, ideology, and resistance. We break down Gramsci's key concepts, including cultural hegemony, the role of organic intellectuals, and the importance of building counter-hegemonic institutions. We also examine his fierce opposition to Italian fa...
May 06, 2025•1 hr 48 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Apr 3, 2023 Professor Matt McManus returns to Rev Left to discuss his latest book, Nietzsche and the Politics of Reaction: Essays on Liberalism, Socialism, and Aristocratic Radicalism —a provocative collection he edited featuring diverse perspectives on one of the most misunderstood thinkers in modern philosophy. We unpack Friedrich Nietzsche's actual political views, challenge the liberal and fascist misreadings, and explore what the socialist left can critically learn from ...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 17 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Sep 10, 2020 In this episode, Breht sits down with historian Johanna Fernández, author of The Young Lords: A Radical History , to explore one of the most militant and visionary revolutionary groups of the 20th century. We trace the origins of the Young Lords from street gang to revolutionary cadre, their Marxist-Leninist politics, their grassroots organizing in poor Puerto Rican and Black neighborhoods, and their fierce fight against racism, colonialism, police violence, and ...
May 04, 2025•1 hr 37 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Nov 2, 2023 Alyson and Breht discuss the ongoing national liberation struggle in Palestine. Together, they discuss the incredible shift in public opinion on Israel and Palestine, the internal and external contradictions culminating in unison for Israel, the discussion about whether or not what Israel is doing is technically a genocide (it absolutely is), international law, Frantz Fanon on the psychology of national liberation, the prospects of a broader regional war, the poss...
May 03, 2025•1 hr 37 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Feb 15, 2024 Passy and Maurice from Friends of the Congo join Breht to discuss the history and the present of the Congo. Together, they discuss their organization, Passy's on-the-ground organizing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the history of the Congo, Patrice Lumumba and his legacy, European and Belgian colonialism, King Leopold II, the brutal ongoing violence and displacement occuring in the Eastern DRC, US imperialism and the Kagame Regime in Rwanda, M23, Neo-Co...
May 02, 2025•1 hr 17 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Apr 4, 2020 In this solo episode, Breht breaks down Karl Marx's powerful concept of alienation from his Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 . He walks listeners through the four types of alienation Marx identified—alienation from the product, the labor process, our human essence, and from each other—and bring them crashing into the present with real, relatable examples from contemporary working-class life. From soul-crushing jobs to the feeling of life slipping throu...
May 01, 2025•22 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Apr 26, 2023 In this episode, Matthew Furlong and Breht dive into Mao Zedong's seminal 1957 speech-turned-text " On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People" - a critical text for any revolutionary serious about navigating the complexities of socialist construction. We break down Mao's dialectical method, his distinction between antagonistic and non-antagonistic contradictions, and how this framework helps us understand internal struggle within a revolutionary ...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 58 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Aug 29, 2022 The rallying cry of liberty, equality, and fraternity echoed through the streets of revolutionary France—and still reverberates through history. In this episode, we examine the French Revolution as a foundational rupture in world history, one that shattered the old feudal order and set the stage for modern capitalism, liberal democracy, and the revolutionary tradition from which subsequent socialist and communist movements would draw inspiration. From the class u...
Apr 29, 2025•2 hr 23 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Feb 24, 2019 Chuka Ejeckam joins Breht to discuss and pay homage to the Black Panther Party leader and Marxist Revolutionary, Fred Hampton. Fred Hampton was more than a charismatic leader—he was a revolutionary force of nature. In this episode, we explore the life, work, and assassination of the legendary Black Panther Party leader who united poor and working-class people across racial lines, organized tirelessly for liberation, and paid the ultimate price for daring to chall...
Apr 28, 2025•1 hr 37 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Sep 17, 2021 In this episode of Guerrilla History , we bring on Professor Jose Maria Sison, better known as Comrade Joma, to talk about his life, how it impacted his ideology, the history of the Communist Party of the Philippines, and more! Comrade Joma is an absolute legendary figure, and it was a pleasure and an honor to be able to talk with him. A must listen conversation for anyone interested in proletarian struggles and People's War in the Global South, especially the Ph...
Apr 27, 2025•2 hr 6 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Dec 13, 2023 In this Rev Left Family Annual Collab (Rev Left+ Red Menace + Guerrilla History ), Alyson, Henry, Adnan, and Breht sit down for a deep dive on South African Apartheid. Together they discuss its euro-colonialist origins, explain the significance of the Boer Wars, define and explicate the origins of apartheid, explore the political economy of apartheid and how brutal racism shaped it, examine the multi-faceted indigenous resistance to apartheid, analyze the end of ...
Apr 26, 2025•2 hr 39 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Sept 2019 David Swanson of Radical Reflections invites Breht on his show to tackle myths, lies, slanders, and popular criticisms wielded against communism by its (often times lazy and unimpressive) opponents. ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio HERE Outro ...
Apr 25, 2025•1 hr 43 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Dec 7, 2020 In this episode of Guerrilla History , Breht, Adnan, and Henry reflect on the life and legacy of John Brown - the fiery, uncompromising abolitionist who took up arms against slavery and shook the foundations of the United States. From Bleeding Kansas to the fateful raid on Harpers Ferry, Brown's life was one of moral clarity and militant action. We explore his revolutionary ethics, his deep religious conviction, and his belief that slavery would only be ended thro...
Apr 24, 2025•1 hr 21 min
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Feb 4, 2023 In this episode of Guerrilla History , we unpack Gerald Horne's explosive and essential work The Counter-Revolution of 1836: Texas Slavery & Jim Crow and the Roots of U.S. Fascism . Horne dismantles the romanticized mythology of Texas independence, revealing it instead as a pro-slavery revolt against Mexico's abolitionist policies. We trace how white settler colonialism, racial capitalism, and the violent defense of human bondage shaped the formation of Texas—...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 33 min
Nicholas Richard-Thompson and Tunde Osazua from the Black Alliance for Peace join Breht to examine the life and legacy of Kwame Nkrumah—anti-colonial revolutionary, Pan-African visionary, and the first president of an independent Ghana. From leading the charge against British colonial rule to his bold attempts to unify the African continent under a socialist banner, Nkrumah's story is one of profound courage, political brilliance, and unfinished dreams. We explore his writings, his revolutionary...
Apr 22, 2025•1 hr 58 min
