

The Socialist Program with Brian Becker
The Socialist Program
News and views about the world for those who want to change it.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 19, 2021 • 41min
Karl Marx's Theory of Exploitation
Brian and Prof. Wolff continue a series of discussions about the basics of Marxism — a method for understanding and changing the world used by many of the great revolutionaries of modern history. Today, they discuss the theory of surplus value. Why do Marxists believe that anyone who works for a wage is being stolen from by their boss?
Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author of many books, the latest being “The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself”. You can check out his work at rdwolff.com

May 19, 2021 • 1h 7min
In the News: Israeli War Crimes Paid for by the USA
On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss Palestinians' general strike today as fierce resistance continues to the increasingly brutal Israeli attack, the possibility that the right-wing Supreme Court will eviscerate the right of women to control their own bodies, the criminal injustice system and another extreme and odious form of racism used to justify police murder, and a left wing victory in the recent Chilean elections.

May 14, 2021 • 51min
The Real Story: Palestine Resists: A Conversation with Abby Martin and Mike Prysner of The Empire Files
The Israeli government is waging war against the Palestinian people and attempting to carry out mass ethnic cleansing of the city of Jerusalem as part of ongoing historic efforts to evict the Palestinian people from their homelands. This has led to a historic level of resistance in Jerusalem, Gaza, the West Bank and in Palestinian communities within the current Israeli borders.
Brian is joined by Abby Martin and Mike Prysner of The Empire Files. The Empire Files' full-length documentary movie “Gaza Fights for Freedom” is now available for free online. Check out their work at TheEmpireFiles.tv

May 12, 2021 • 37min
Capitalism in Crisis: Marx & Lenin on Monopoly Capitalism
Brian and Prof. Wolff begin a series of discussions about the basics of Marxism — a method for understanding and changing the world used by many of the great revolutionaries of modern history. Today, they discuss what a monopoly is, and how there is a natural tendency to monopoly under capitalism.
Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author of many books, the latest being “The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself”. You can check out his work at rdwolff.com

May 11, 2021 • 52min
In the News: Stand with Palestine as Palestine Stands Together
On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss the assault being waged by the Israeli military on Palestinians following intense fascist attacks and ethnic cleansing efforts directed against Palestinian residents of Jerusalem by ultra-right settlers. And in domestic news, the Biden administration’s economic program continues to draw attacks from right-wing media, the Republican Party, and key parts of the Democratic Party in the U.S. Senate.

May 6, 2021 • 57min
The Real Story: Understanding China's Foreign Policy -- 1959-1965
This podcast delves into the breakdown of relations between China and the Soviet Union, the China-India war, the US invasion of Vietnam, and the CIA-organized genocide in Indonesia. It also discusses US foreign policy strategies, manipulation and lies in American foreign policy, and provides historical context for territorial conflicts.

May 5, 2021 • 37min
Capitalism in Crisis: When "Intellectual Property" Kills the Sick and Poor
Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss the deadly consequences of the U.S. government's stubborn refusal so far to waive patents preventing developing countries from producing their own Coronavirus vaccines -- all to protect the profits of the big pharmaceutical corporations.
Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author of many books, the latest being “The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself”. You can check out his work at rdwolff.com

May 4, 2021 • 59min
In the News: Socialist tactics and Biden's economic program
On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss where the Biden administration is headed politically and why. In his address to a joint session of Congress last Thursday, Biden appears to have signaled a significant turn towards a program aimed at providing substantial benefits to working people.

Apr 29, 2021 • 58min
The Real Story: Understanding China's Foreign Policy -- 1949-1959
Explores China's early foreign policy with anti-colonialism and alliance with Soviet Union. Examines Cold War mindset and impact on US policy. Discusses consequences of Stalin's death and rupture between Soviets and China in 1959. Reflects on China's ideological struggle and shift to the left in the 1960s.

Apr 28, 2021 • 43min
Capitalism in Crisis: Declining U.S. Capitalism Declares Economic War Against Germany
Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss the latest efforts by the Biden administration to put severe economic pressure on Germany to back out of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, an infrastructure project that would deliver Russian gas to the European market competing with big U.S. oil and gas monopolies.
Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author of many books, the latest being “The Sickness is the System: When Capitalism Fails to Save Us from Pandemics or Itself”. You can check out his work at rdwolff.com