The Money with Katie Show Freedom, Capitalism, and America's Missing Revolution
Nov 26, 2025
Andrew Hartman, a history professor and author of "Karl Marx in America," dives into the limitations of Enlightenment thinkers and Marx’s insights on freedom and labor. He explores how capitalism creates inequality and speculative markets, while also discussing the unique American context that shaped Marx's views. Hartman argues that corporations inadvertently socialize production and discusses the complexity of class beyond identity. This engaging conversation challenges conventional narratives about capitalism and its impact on society.
01:21:29
Marx As A Philosopher Of Freedom
- Andrew Hartman frames Marx as a philosopher of freedom who criticized capitalism for denying autonomy at work.
- Marx argued real freedom requires independence over one's work, time, and body, not just political rights.
Marx Wrote For The New York Tribune
- Hartman recounts Marx's long exile and his work writing over 500 articles for the New York Tribune in the 1850s.
- Those articles kept Marx engaged with U.S. politics and made America central to his analysis.
Marx Addressed Industrial Capitalism
- Hartman contrasts Enlightenment thinkers with Marx, saying Marx addressed industrial capitalism's realities.
- He argues Marx pinpointed class struggle arising from factory-based production that earlier thinkers didn't see.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Hartman Frames Marx as a Philosopher of Freedom
01:51 • 3min
Who Was Karl Marx and His Early Life
05:16 • 5min
Marx's Writings for the New York Tribune
10:45 • 2min
Marx's Views on the U.S. as Revolutionary Ground
12:54 • 2min
Why Marx Mattered More Than Enlightenment Thinkers
15:01 • 4min
Ad break
18:57 • 2min
Marx on America's Unique Development
20:55 • 1min
Marx's Early Optimism Then Skepticism About U.S.
22:13 • 4min
The Frontier's Effect on American Radicalism
26:09 • 2min
Industrialization and the 'Gospel of Success'
28:03 • 5min
Corporations Socialize Production, per Marx
33:32 • 3min
Public Corporations vs. Populists' Vision
36:57 • 4min
Marxist Definition of the Working Class
41:00 • 3min
Ad break
44:08 • 5min
The New Deal's Role in Stabilizing Capitalism
49:32 • 1min
Ad break
51:00 • 2min
Professional Managerial Class and Class Complexity
53:25 • 2min
Why Social Democracy Isn't Enough for Socialists
55:32 • 6min
Human Nature, History, and Possibility of Socialism
01:01:14 • 4min
Marx, Keynes, and Production Versus Demand
01:05:44 • 3min
Inequality Spurs Speculation and Market Bubbles
01:09:04 • 4min
Racism and Gender as Barriers to Working-Class Solidarity
01:13:03 • 8min
Marxist Feminism and Engels' Contributions
01:21:28 • 35sec
Outro
01:22:03 • 59sec
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Karl Marx in America
Andrew Hartman
Since I spent last week’s episode detailing the thrilling ins and outs of making your own 2026 financial plan for wealth-maxxing, today I’m taking a hard left turn and interviewing Andrew Hartman, a history professor and the author of Karl Marx in America, a 500-page tome about which he says, and here I quote directly, “My father-in-law told me that he likes the book even though he still doesn’t like Marx.” We talked about:
- The limitations of theories from the founding Enlightenment thinkbois like Adam Smith, John Locke, and Thomas Paine, which mostly pre-dated industrial capitalism
- The "gospel of success" as an anesthetic for an uproarious working class who did not go gently from their farms into factories
- A surprising role for corporations, which have—ironically—done more to "socialize production" than any other modern entity
- The trap of thinking about class as an "identity," rather than a relationship
- How wealth inequality creates speculative markets and bubbles
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Transcripts, show notes, resources, and credits at: https://www.moneywithkatie.com/the_mwk_show/freedom-capitalism-missing-revolution.
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