Join the Proles and friend of the pod, Joel, for our first ever episode focused solely on a theory text. If you’ve been following along with the TheoryBeats project on Patreon, you already know the text. It is the the monumental "Foundations of Leninism" by Joseph Stalin. Rae takes the lead on this one.  We’ll take you through each of the nine sections of this text, unpacking the history and context while making connections to other thinkers, theorists, and movements both historically and today. You can find the full text freely available to read at: https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1924/foundations-leninism/ Thank you to our (actual and legitimate, not a joke) sponsor, "Quotations from Michael Parenti" published by Red Prints Publishing through Marxist-Leninist Reading Hub. To learn more and to get a copy of the book, head here: https://www.mlreadinghub.org/books/quotations-from-michael-parenti  If you’d like to listen to the TheoryBeats, find studyguides, surprise drops, and more, don’t forget to head to Patreon.com/ProlesPod to subscribe. (Even the free tier has special stuff for you!)  If you like our work and want to support it, don’t forget to rate and review us on any of the podcast catchers, follow us on social media @ProlesPod and make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss our Stalin Eras series that’s coming up.

CW: This episode contains frank discussions of murder, torture, and sexual assault of both adults and children, primarily in the context of anti-semitic pogroms against Jewish people. Please proceed carefully through the episode or skip it entirely if any of these things may be difficult for you to hear.   Justin picks up where Jeremy left off to cover the development of OUN/UPA, Stepan Bandera's insecure self-promotion, and how the Ukrainian Nationalists were no better than the Nazis. Slava Ukraini bad. As last time, we try to bring some levity to the discussion, but it is a disgusting period for Eastern Europe and we couldn't sugar coat it.   Sign up at Patreon where you can get access to early release episodes, study guides, bonus episodes, TheoryBeats, and MORE! YOU CAN DO SO FOR FREE, which will get you the study guides, merch, and other random drops.   Please subscribe on your favorite podcast catcher and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @prolespod and Tiktok @proles.pod  If you have any questions or comments, email us at prolespod@outlook.com. May the spectre haunt your streets, and solidarity forever.   Sources: Ukrainian Nationalists and the Holocaust by John-Paul Himka Stepan Bandera: The Life and Afterlife of a Ukrainian Nationalist by Grzegorz Rossolinski-Liebe   Intro Music:  "ProlesPod Theme" by Ransom Notes   Midroll Ad: Written and read by Jeremy Music "Macho Man Reagan Sandwich" by DJ DTA   Outro Music: Eastern Bloc Beats by DJ DTA

CW: This episode contains frank discussions of murder, torture, and sexual assault of both adults and children, primarily in the context of anti-semitic pogroms against Jewish people. Please proceed carefully through the episode or skip it entirely if any of these things may be difficult for you to hear. To signal the depravity of racist language in quotes used in this episode we have used a bleep instead of "contextually stating" the slur or "n-wording" it.   Jeremy leads us in a discussion of the early history of what we now know as Ukraine, all the way through the early twentieth century, before taking a depressing turn into the brief period in which nationalists controlled the region from 1918-1921. This brief and tragic era of Ukraine is dominated by a “civil war” and countless pogroms, primarily perpetrated against Jewish residents of the area. We do our best to lighten the material in the first half of the episode, but honestly, there’s nothing to be joked about in the latter half. Sign up at Patreon where you can get access to early release episodes, study guides, bonus episodes, TheoryBeats, and MORE! YOU CAN DO SO FOR FREE, which will get you the study guides, merch, and other random drops. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast catcher and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @prolespod and Tiktok @proles.pod. If you have any questions or comments, email us at prolespod@outlook.com. May the spectre haunt your streets, and solidarity forever. Resource Links - Soviet Books: Ismail Badiou Soviet Book Archive (over a thousand soviet era books!) Lazy Izdihar Soviet Book Archive Sources: The Gates of Europe by Serhii Plokhy In the Midst of Civilized Europe by Jeffrey Veidlinger Medieval Ukraine by Charles River Editors Intro Music:  "ProlesPod Theme" by Ransom Notes Midroll Ad Written and read by Jeremy Music "Gyro Maidan" by DJ DTA

For this episode we’re joined by guest expert Beth Pitts for a journey into the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon. We’re talking about the past, present, and future of indigenous resistance in Ecuador to begin to think about what their struggle can teach us, the benefits and limitations of taking legal action against the imperial nation-state, and the ways in which we can broaden our understanding of the frontline of struggle. For our full interview with members of the Siekopai Remolino community, head over to the Patreon. (Don’t worry; we translated it into English.) For information on the communities mentioned, access to their fundraisers, and our guest expert’s book: Siekoya Remolino website: https://www.siekoyaremolino.org/  and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/siekoyaremolino Siekopai social media: Twitter: @Siekopai, Facebook: @Siekopai, Instagram: @Nacion.Siekopai        Sëra Foundation crowdfunding campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/f/siekopai-indigenous-amazonian-youth-foundation Native People of Sarayaku website: https://sarayaku.org/  Children of the Jaguar documentary (Sarayaku): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma1QSmtuiLQ  Interview Alexandra Narvaez (Sinangoe): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwmQMdGuBMc  Under Rich Earth documentary (Intag): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRinnhejBIw  Moon Guide to Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands: https://www.moon.com/?s=bethany+pitts Don’t forget to subscribe to ProlesPod on your favorite podcast catcher. Rate, review, and share with your friends. It really helps us a lot. If you want to keep the party going, make sure you’re subscribed to our Patreon where you can find the companion study guide to every episode (even at the free tier!!), TheoryBeats, early release of main feed episodes, The Secret Speech (bonus content), surprise drops, and you can be the first to know about our limited run merch. If you have any questions or feedback, please email us at ProlesPod@Outlook.com. Find and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, TwitterX, and Tiktok.  

Charles Xu joins the show to give us a whirlwind tour of the history of Taiwan starting from about 15,000 years ago to the late 1980s to explain to us the origins of the current tensions between China and the West (led by the United States of America, ofcourse) that has been recklessly escalating to a war! The history covered here is covered in much more detail on the Qiao Collective website which hosts their outstanding Taiwan: An Anti-Imperialist Resource. Charles Xu is a member of the Qiao Collective. The Qiao Collective is a diaspora Chinese media collective challenging U.S. aggression in China.  Sign up at Patreon where you can get access to early release episodes, study guides, bonus episodes, TheoryBeats, and MORE! YOU CAN DO SO FOR FREE, which will get you the study guides, merch, and other random drops. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast catcher and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @prolespod and Tiktok @proles.pod. If you have any questions or comments, email us at prolespod@outlook.com. May the spectre haunt your streets, and solidarity forever. Intro Music:  "ProlesPod Theme" by Ransom Notes Midroll Ad Written and read by Jeremy Music "Monstertruck Meow" by DJ DTA  

CW - This episode, almost from start to finish, tells a lot of horrific stories of both physical and mental abuse and mutilation of some of the most marginalized and at-risk types of folks. If this is something that will be difficult to get through for you, please skip the episode or take it slow.  In this episode, we discuss a topic that is widely known but often skimmed. Instead of focusing on the people involved or the "funny" cases, we talked more about the monstrous nature of the project and the blatant disregard for human life and wellbeing. All for a made up thing that they never even got close to figuring out. Sign up at Patreon where you can get access to early release episodes, study guides, bonus episodes, TheoryBeats, and MORE! YOU CAN DO SO FOR FREE, which will get you the study guides, merch, and other random drops. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast catcher and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @prolespod and Tiktok @proles.pod. If you have any questions or comments, email us at prolespod@outlook.com. May the spectre haunt your streets, and solidarity forever. Intro Music:  "ProlesPod Theme" by Ransom Notes Jolly West Music: "Tusko's Last Parade" by DJ DTA Vitamin midroll: Written by Rae and read by Jeremy Music "Mind Melters" by DJ DTA Outro Music: "Eastern Bloc Beats" by DJ DTA

We are joined by Iskolat to discuss the heroric struggle of Latvia's Red Partisans during World War II - also known as the Great Patriotic War. For years this communist resistance stifled and sabotaged the Nazi occupation of Latvia.  Focusing on the rarely discussed era of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, we connect it's past to it's present working class struggles.  Note: This episode was filmed before before Rae and Martín joined the Prolespod.  Sign up at Patreon where you can get access to early release episodes, study guides, bonus episodes, TheoryBeats, and MORE! YOU CAN DO SO FOR FREE, which will get you the study guides, merch, and other random drops. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast catcher and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @prolespod and Tiktok @proles.pod. If you have any questions or comments, email us at prolespod@outlook.com. May the spectre haunt your streets, and solidarity forever. Intro Music:  "ProlesPod Theme" by Ransom Notes Baltic Air midroll: Written and read by Rae Music "Baltic Dreams" by DJ DTA Outro Music: "Eastern Bloc Beats" by DJ DTA

The unveiling of TheoryBeats, a new project by ProlesPod and DJ DTA. Let us know what you think!   To get all future TheoryBeats, you can sign up for any paid tier at the Patreon. There are a number of other cool perks and more on the way!    FoL Pt 1 Read by - Jeremy Music by - DJ DTA

In this episode of the podcast, we are joined by Evan from Left of the Projector Podcast to delve into a Marxist analysis of the new animated series X-Men '97. We explore the show's portrayal of the mutant struggle through a Marxist lens, examining characters like Magneto and Professor X as representations of different revolutionary strategies. We discuss the complex dynamics of Genosha, a nation of mutants, as it transitions from slavery to liberation, drawing parallels to real-world post-colonial struggles. We also analyze the show's depiction of the exploitation of mutant labor and the justification for their oppression, mirroring the dynamics of class struggle in capitalist societies. Additionally, we critique the show's portrayal of international relations and the hypocrisy of organizations like the UN. Finally, we touch upon the challenges faced by the mutant state after the revolution, including the constant threat of counter-revolution and the complexities of governance. Sign up at Patreon where you can get access to early release episodes, study guides, limited-drop merch, bonus episodes, TheoryBeats, and MORE! YOU CAN DO SO FOR FREE, which will get you the study guides, merch, and other random drops. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast catcher and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @prolespod and Tiktok @proles.pod. If you have any questions or comments, email us at prolespod@outlook.com. May the spectre haunt your streets, and solidarity forever. Sources:  "Letter to American Workers" V.I. Lenin https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1918/aug/20.htm Intro Music:  "X-men 97 Theme" by The Newton Brothers Outro Music: "Eastern Bloc Beats" by DJ DTA

  In this episode, we're joined by our two newest co-hosts, Rae and Martín, to take the Proles' first trip to Mexico. In this wide-ranging episode, we cover a (brief) workers' history of Mexico, the rise of the current president AMLO, what his presidency has meant for Mexican people, and some insight on the upcoming presidential election. There were a shocking number of resources consulted for this episode, but those specifically referenced (in English) are here: https://jacobin.com/2023/08/amlo-presidency-mexico-morena-pri-neoliberalism https://ausm.community/the-4t/ https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-contradictions-of-amlo/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C4O2WlWPHw A note that several of our sources are in Spanish, but if you're a Spanish speaker interested in the resource list, don't hesitate to reach out. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast catcher and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @prolespod and Tiktok @proles.pod. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for updates on the re-launch of our Patreon. If you have any questions or comments, email us at prolespod@outlook.com. May the spectre haunt your streets, and solidarity forever. Intro Music:  "Proles Pod Theme" by Ransom Notes Outro Music: "Eastern Bloc Beats" by DJ DTA