The Regrettable Century

Welcome to our fifth reading group episode on Revolution: An Intellectual History, by Enzo Traverso.  This week we discuss different conceptions of freedom, liberation, and the liberation of time. Traverso, Enzo. 2021. Revolution : An Intellectual History. London ; New York: Verso.https://www.versobooks.com/products/2783-revolutionMusic: The Strike-Shots Heard the WorldSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

This week we continue our discussion of Napoleon Bonaparte with our comrade Matthew. We start out tying up some loose ends and then discuss the upcoming Ridley Scott movie and the many variations of Bonapartism. Music: Marche du Sacre de NapoléonSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

This week we had our long time comrade and resident France expert, Matthew, back on the show to talk about the mixed legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte. Was Napoleon a force for progress or the death of the revolution? The answer is yes. Revolutionary Figures: Napoleon Bonaparte https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/ageofrevolution/revolutionary-figures/napoleon-bonaparte/#Napoleon: Hegelian Herohttps://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/napoleon-hegelian-hero/Hegel and Napoleon: On Heroes and the Sublime in History https://minervawisdom.com/2020/04/13/hegel-and-napoleon-on-heroes-and-the-sublime-in-history/Music: Chant du départ, the anthem of the first French Empire. Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

A little bonus episode for you this week. Here is the audio of a lecture that Kevin gave at the Cascadian Midsummer festival this summer about William Morris. Check out Cascadian Midsummer here:  https://www.cmfest.org/Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

This week we continue our series reading from Rodney Hilton's collection of essays about the Crisis of Feudalism. These are pretty short essays, but we will no doubt be talking about them forever.Hilton, Rodney. Class Conflict and the Crisis of Feudalism. A&C Black, 1985.Check out Varn Vlog:https://www.patreon.com/varnvlogSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

This week we discussed a book about the collapse of the Soviet Union and guess what, it wasn't the result of the United States' efforts to defeat the Evil Empire. It's much dumber and worse than that.Serhii Plokhy. 2015. The Last Empire : The Final Days of the Soviet Union. New York: Basic Books, A Member Of The Perseus Books Group.Head over to our Patreon and join for $2 a month to hear the whole episode and join the Discord to take part in the discussions.Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

The original dudes are back, with an original dudes topic revisiting our pessimism (because of intellect) and our optimism (because of will). No it's not just a doomer affectation that we can use to sound as cool as we look, its a critical method of engaging with the bleak reality that faces us. The only way out is through but getting through is possible. Revolutionary Pessimism: The Worst is Yet to Come https://www.christiansocialism.com/2020/05/12/covid-peter-fleming-revolutionary-pessimism-capitalism/ Pessimism of the Willhttps://viewpointmag.com/2020/05/28/pessimism-of-the-will/ CRITICAL PESSIMISM AND THE LIMITS OF TRADITIONAL MARXISM  https://www.jstor.org/stable/657342 For A Refresher: The Proper Amount of Bumming People Out: Pessimisms and Optimisms of Intellect and Willhttps://regrettablecentury.buzzsprout.com/220523/1410229-the-proper-amount-of-bumming-people-out-pessimisms-and-optimisms-of-intellect-and-willScattered Thoughts on Melancholia and the Organization of Pessimismhttps://regrettablecentury.buzzsprout.com/220523/1320682-scattered-thoughts-on-melancholia-and-the-organization-of-pessimismPessimism of the Intellect, Pessimism of the Willhttps://regrettablecentury.buzzsprout.com/220523/889740-pessimism-of-the-intellect-pessimism-of-the-will Music- Англия - Сказочный мирSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

This week we start a new series where we read from Rodney Hilton's collection of essays about the Crisis of Feudalism. These are pretty short essays, but we will no doubt be talking about them forever. Hilton, Rodney. Class Conflict and the Crisis of Feudalism. A&C Black, 1985.Check out Varn Vlog:https://www.patreon.com/varnvlogSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

Welcome to our fourth reading group episode on Revolution: An Intellectual History, by Enzo Traverso. This week we discuss the revolutionary intellectual. Traverso, Enzo. 2021. Revolution : An Intellectual History. London ; New York: Verso.https://www.versobooks.com/products/2783-revolutionHead over to our Patreon and join for $2 a month to hear the whole episode and join the Discord to take part in the discussions.Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show

We think degrowth is going to be necessary, but we also think the debate about degrowth has been all wrong.  We read the newest issue of Monthly Review and had a discussion about the politics of degrowth. Planned Degrowth: Ecosocialism and Sustainable Human Developmenthttps://monthlyreview.org/2023/07/01/planned-degrowth/ Nine Theses on Ecosocialist Degrowthhttps://monthlyreview.org/2023/07/01/nine-theses-on-ecosocialist-degrowth/ (Here’s the whole issue)https://monthlyreview.org/product/mr-075-03-2023-07/ Music: Bad Religion- Watch it Die Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the show