The Myth of Cultural Marxism – Anatomy of a conspiracy theory
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Feb 12, 2025
Dive into the fascinating world of the Cultural Marxism conspiracy theory. Explore how this concept emerged in response to social changes and political events, particularly the 2011 Norway attacks. Discover the connections between key historical figures like Francis Parker Yockey and the Frankfurt School. Unpack why this theory has gained traction among mainstream conservatives while critiquing its oversimplified views on complex social issues. The conversation is laced with humor, making the heavy themes both entertaining and enlightening.
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Yockey's Arrest and *Imperium*
Francis Parker Yockey, a prominent fascist, was found with multiple identities.
Yockey's book Imperium blamed Jewish intellectuals for Western decline.
insights INSIGHT
Yockey's Impact
Yockey's ideas framed cultural critiques as attacks on Western civilization itself.
This concept is central to the Cultural Marxism conspiracy theory.
insights INSIGHT
LaRouche and the Frankfurt School
Lyndon LaRouche linked the Frankfurt School to a conspiracy involving British intelligence, rock music, and soap operas.
This marked an important step in associating the Frankfurt School with alleged cultural decline.
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Imperium is a narrative that spans several decades, beginning with Kapuściński's childhood memories of the Soviet occupation of Poland in the late 1930s. The book follows his journeys across the Soviet Union, including his travels on the Trans-Siberian Railway and through the Central Asian and Caucasus republics. Kapuściński describes the brutal measures used by the Soviet regime, the psychological effects on the people, and the eventual collapse of the empire. He reflects on the post-colonial sociology of the regions, the rise of nationalist sentiment, and the complexities of decolonization. The book is a poignant and evocative account of life within the Soviet Union, highlighting both the horrors and the resilience of its people[2][3][5].
The decline of the West
Oswald Spengler
12 Rules for Life
An Antidote to Chaos
Jordan B Peterson
In this book, Jordan B. Peterson offers twelve profound and practical rules for living a meaningful life. He argues that happiness is a fleeting and unpredictable goal, and instead, people should seek meaning as a defense against the suffering inherent in life. The book is divided into chapters, each representing one of the twelve rules, such as 'Stand up straight with your shoulders back,' 'Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping,' and 'Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient).' Peterson draws on examples from his clinical practice, personal life, cutting-edge psychology, philosophy, and ancient myths to provide a guide for personal improvement and coping with adversity.
The Death of the West
How Dying Populations and Immigrant Invasions Imperil Our Country and Civilization
Patrick J. Buchanan
The book argues that Western civilization is in decline due to collapsing birth rates in Europe and the U.S., coupled with population explosions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Buchanan uses United Nations population statistics to support his claims and argues that uncontrolled immigration and the rise of a counter-culture are eroding traditional Western values and threatening American democracy. He also critiques the cultural elite and the impact of the 1960s cultural revolution on American society[1][2][5].
A World After Liberalism: Philosophers of the Radical Right
A World After Liberalism: Philosophers of the Radical Right
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Matthew Rose
Welcome to another Origin Story bonus episode. This week we’re discussing the conspiracy theory of Cultural Marxism. In the 1990s, cultural conservatives in America began pinning everything they hated, from feminism and gender studies departments to pop music and horror movies, on the legacy of the Frankfurt School, a group of German intellectuals who came together at Frankfurt University in 1923 and resettled in New York in 1935. The theory claims that these Teutonic eggheads, most of whom were Jewish, used critical theory and social studies to infiltrate American life and undermine “Judeo-Christian culture” from within. Hence, allegedly, political correctness and much else besides.
The delusion of Cultural Marxism was made famous by Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik in 2011 but it is not confined to neo-Nazis. As a pseudo-intellectual justification for the anti-woke backlash, it has been cited by Jordan Peterson, Paul Dacre, Viktor Orbán, Ron DeSantis and Suella Braverman, making it perhaps the clearest bridge between the far
right and “respectable” conservatism: a modern Red Scare for a cultural Cold War.
Dorian takes Ian through the evolution of the theory, from post-war fascist Francis Parker Lockey via conspiracy theorist Lyndon LaRouche to the paranoid fringes of conservatism and ultimately the mainstream. Is Cultural Marxism just a rebranding of Hitler’s antisemitic obsession with “cultural bolshevism” or something more ornate? Who were the Frankfurt
School and what were they really trying to do? Why do conservative politicians keep using a phrase popularised by a fascist terrorist? And what does this have to do with the Beatles or A Nightmare on Elm Street? Join us as we unravel one of the most perniciously influential conspiracy theories in the world.
Matthew Rose, ‘A World After Liberalism: Philosophers of the Radical Right’ (2021)
... reading list continues – full list available on Patreon
Written and presented by Dorian Lynskey and Ian Dunt. Produced by Simon Williams. Music by Jade Bailey. Art by Jim Parrett. Logo by Mischa Welsh. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Origin Story is a Podmasters production
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