
Proles Pod
A podcast about history, politics, and culture... without the liberalism
Latest episodes

Apr 1, 2019 • 1h 33min
Episode 24: Guatemala and the Silent Holocaust
In this one we sit down with Phil after a trip to Guatemala where he reconnected with his family, revolutionary past, and their incredible story, one as old as time, of the US propping up fascists and killing communists. If you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, guest appearances, etc.! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Suggested Reading: "Shattered Hope: The Guatemalan Revolution" by Piero Gleijeses "Bitter Fruit" by Stephen Schlesinger "Killing Hope" by William Blum Intro music: "Proles Pod Theme" by Ransom Notes Outro music: "Poesia Venenonsa" by Rebeca Lane

Mar 15, 2019 • 2h 12min
Episode 23: Western Media is a F***
In this one we sit down with China Daily reporter, Ian Goodrum, and talk about how western media has portrayed China through its history, and communist countries broadly, as well as a bunch of great anecdotes, and discussions about how we might interpret media. And of course a brief history of The Peoples' Liquor. If you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, guest appearances, etc.! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Suggested Reading: Anti-poverty Drive Red Star Over China by Edgar Snow How to Visit a Socialist Country China in the Modern Day And of course, China Daily Intro music: "Proles Pod Theme" by Ransom Notes Outro music: "Soviet Official" by Apathy and OC (edited for content)

Mar 1, 2019 • 1h 54min
Episode 22: Indigeneity
(*Disclaimer: One of our microphones cut out about 1/3 of the way through recording, and so we were forced to cut most of the banter after that point. We apologize, but are grateful that Andrea had a ton of incredibly interesting information to tell, and so we feel the content didn't suffer) The Proles sit down with Andrea (@andrea_lakota on Twitter) to discuss how Indigenous folks, decolonization, and a lot of misunderstood terms intersect. It is chocked full of amazing knowledge. If you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get sweet pins, access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, guest appearances, etc.! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Suggested Reading: The Transit of Empire by Jodi Byrd The ABC's of Decolonization: www.onkwehonwerising.wordpress.com Outro music: "Mushuk" by Los Nin

Feb 15, 2019 • 2h 30min
Episode 21: The Rise of, Life In, and Fall of the German Democratic Republic
The podcast delves into the creation of the German Democratic Republic post-WWII, comparing GDR citizens' rights to those in the West, the sheer number of Nazis in post-war Germany, and the events leading to the fall of the GDR in 1989. Topics also cover societal manipulation, women's rights in the GDR, anti-corruption efforts, and contrasting healthcare systems between the US and the GDR.

Feb 1, 2019 • 2h 24min
Episode 20: Paul Robeson
We go through the life of actor, singer, civil rights activist, and communist Paul Robeson and talk about how he laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement in the US, how the capitalist powers tried to destroy him, and why it's important for us to remember him. Update: we did more research and found the colleges that wouldn't play Rutgers b/c Robeson was on the football team! William & Mary, Georgia Tech, and Washington & Lee! If you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get sweet pins, access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, guest appearances, etc.! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Suggested Listening: "Joe Hill" "Anthem of the Soviet Union" "Shlof, Mein Kind" "The Volga Boatmen" "Go Down Moses" Suggested Reading: Paul Robeson, Martin Bruml Duberman, Paul Robeson: The Artist as Revolutionary, Gerald Horne Paul Robeson: A Watched Man, Jordan Goodman Paul Robeson's Testimony before HUAC, 1956 Outro music: "Old Man River" - Paul Robeson

Jan 21, 2019 • 2h 4min
Live Anniversary Episode
It's been a whole freaking year since we first recorded and posted our animated first episode on the German Revolution! We are amazed and humbled by all that has happened since then, and in celebration we took live calls for two hours to meet and chat with some fantastic people and answer a few questions. Join us as we let our hair down, drink too much, and talk to ya'll. If you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get sweet pins, access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, pick your own, guest appearances! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Outro Music: "Dr Wily's Castle Theme" by Takashi Tateishi

Jan 12, 2019 • 1h 56min
Episode 19: China In The Era of Xi
In yet another spicy episode that is sure to anger some folks, we talk with Ty (@spirit_of_17 on twitter), who got back not too long ago from a year living in China, and wanted to give us his take on what he experienced and saw, and what we think of where China is in the era of Xi. If you haven't already, go to www.prolespod.com or you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get sweet pins, access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, pick your own, guest appearances! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Suggested Reading: Guide on general anti communist myths here. Reading guide on China specifically here. Outro Music: Xiangyu "Rumors and Slanders" Translated video can be found here.

Jan 1, 2019 • 2h 11min
PRT Episode 18: Marxist Feminism
What better way to ring in the New Year than this spicy episode on feminism, where we take shots at feminist movements of the past, men (of course) and some of the left. Special guest @socializm_ brings the fire. Ya'll are guaranteed to either love it, or hate it. If you haven't already, you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get sweet pins, access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, pick your own, guest appearances! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Suggested Reading: "Caliban and the Witch" by Sylvia Federici "Undemocratic Legacies: First Wave Feminism and the Somocista Women's Movement in Nicaragua" by V. Gonzalez-Rivera "Is Capitalism Gendered and Racialized" by Joan Acker "The Dialectics of Sex" by Shulamith Firestone ("The Dialectics of Sex" was utilized to cover the history of the first wave feminism in the United States. For that reason we recommend the book merely for the first chapter. However, the author offers iffy analysis against Marx and misquotes Engels that makes their overall argument faulty. This work has been critiqued by Ghandy (CC member of the CPI) in her works, “Philosophical trends in the modern feminist movement.” Still recommend that chapter spoken about but keep that in mind when you read the works in its entirety) Outro Music: "Rocky's Revenge" by Rocky Rivera

Dec 15, 2018 • 2h 30min
PRT Episode 17: Nuclear Weapons
In this episode, we go from the discovery of nuclear fission up to the most recent state getting a nuclear weapon, and in between we talk about the Manhattan Project, Soviet spies, Hiroshima, US nuclear testing, and the DPRK having a nuke. This episode has some of the darkest moments we've had on the podcast and also some incredible silliness. Enjoy! Suggested Reading/Viewing - American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, Kai Bird & Martin Sherwin Stalin's Great Science: The Times and Adventures of Soviet Physicists, Alexei B. Kojevnikov Before The Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima, Diana Preston Hiroshima's Shadow: Writings on the Denial of History, Kai Bird & Lawrence Lifschultz The Ruin of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Birth of the Modern Arms Race, Priscilla Johnson McMillan Plutopia: Nuclear Families, Atomic Cities, and the Great Soviet and American Plutonium Disasters, Kate Brown Hiroshima, John Hersey Yellow Dirt: A Poisoned Land and the Betrayal of the Navajos, Judy Pasternak Bombshell: The Secret Story of America's Unknown Atomic Spy Controversy, Joseph Albright & Marcia Kunstel https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/1366164/Israel-reveals-secrets-of-how-it-gained-bomb.html A Bomb in the Basement: Israel's Nuclear Option Outro music: Gang of Four - "I Found That Essence Rare"

Dec 1, 2018 • 2h 52min
PRT Episode 15: Ho Chi Minh
Comrades, you are going to love this episode. Come along with us as we deep dive into the life of one of history's most remarkable and patient revolutionaries, from his childhood up to WW2. Ezra also shares a great anecdote about Route 559. If you haven't already, you can help the show improve over at www.patreon.com/prolespod and in return can get sweet pins, access to our spicy discord, exclusive episodes, pick your own, guest appearances! All kinds of great stuff. Please subscribe on your favorite podcast apps and rate or review to help extend our reach. Like and rate our facebook page at facebook.com/prolespod and follow us on Twitter @prolespod. If you have any questions or comments, DM us on either of those platforms or email us at prolespod@gmail.com All episodes prior to episode 4 can be found on YouTube, so go check that out as well! Suggested Reading: "Ho Chi Minh: A Life" by William Duiker Outro Music: "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by Bob Dylan