The Regrettable Century

We sat down with C. Derick Varn and solved all the problems that are currently ailing the left. We reconciled the divergent currents of Marxism and wove together the materialist and idealist dichotomy with resounding success, but then lost an hour and a half of audio and were forced to restart the recording; what resulted was a meandering, but entertaining, discussion about just about everything... and religion. Varn's Podcast "Symptomatic Redness"http://zero-books.net/blogs/zero/tag/symptomatic-redness/and his poetry.http://www.unlikelystories.org/unlikely-books/apocalypticsMusic:Des Geyers Schwarzer Haufen- Bauernkreig (German Peasant Revolt Anthem)Further Reading:MacIntyre, Alasdair C. Marxism and Christianity. Notre Dame, Ind: University of Notre Dame Press, 1984.Religion for radicals: An interview with Terry Eagletonhttps://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/the-gospel-according-to-terryRoland Boer on Marxism and Religionhttp://isj.org.uk/the-full-story-on-marxism-and-religion/Lenin: The Attitude of the Workers Party To Religionhttps://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1909/may/13.htmBoer, R. (2014). Religion and Socialism. Political Theology, 15(2), 188–209.Fitzpatrick, F. (1967). A. V. Lunacharsky: Recent Soviet Interpretations and Republications.Soviet Studies. Vol. 18. No. 3. pp 267-289Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

After our Socialism From Below episode, Jason and Chris thought they could have used more time to talk about the 4th Comintern congress and the question of "Workers' Governments."What resulted is an impromptu discussion that we posted on our Patreon. Head on over and sign up for $2. Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

From Babeuf and Blanqui to Bakunin; from Karl Marx and Kautsky to Kropotkin, an ideological battle rages over the true nature of socialism!  But why though?This week we discuss whether or not there really are only "Two Souls of Socialism" and if idea of "socialism from below" is a useful analytical framework around which to organize our politics. Hal Draper’s “Two Souls of Socialism”https://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1966/twosouls/ Marxism, Anarchism, & the Genealogy of “Socialism From Below”https://uppingtheanti.org/journal/article/02-marxism-anarchism-the-genealogy-of-socialism-from-below Building Socialism From Below- Ben Tarnoffhttps://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/12/nicos-poulantzas-socialism-from-below-democratic-power Socialism From Below: A Delusion? -Mike McNairhttps://weeklyworker.co.uk/worker/1071/socialism-from-below-a-delusion/Music: Back in the USSR by Crisis  Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

This is part one of a series in which we will chart the history of fascism and attempt to dissect and discuss it in greater detail than we have previously been able to. Our goal is to analyze some of the scholarship done by mainstream and Marxist scholars alike, in order to better understand the phenomenon. In Part one we synthesize a list of the ideological characteristics of Classical Fascism from similar lists that are employed by fascism scholars, in an attempt to understand what gave historic fascism the unique appeal that it had and attempt to construct a working definition that we can use to define our terms for the rest of the series. If this ends up going well, the series will trace the history of fascism from its roots in the societal ferment of the 19th century to the modern day post-fascist movements. Payne, Stanley G. A history of fascism, 1914-1945. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1995. PrintSternhell, Zeev, Mario Sznajder, and Maia Ashéri. The birth of fascist ideology : from cultural rebellion to political revolution. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 1994. Print.Paxton, Robert O. The anatomy of fascism. New York: Knopf, 2004. Print.Griffin, Roger. The nature of fascism. London New York: Routledge, 1993. Print.Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

The Gang Gets Underwhelmed by Zizek v. Peterson. It wasn't the "Debate of the Century" we wanted, but it's the one that we deserved.  Music: Kerber- Ratne IgreSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

We are currently witnessing what appears to be the death of the micro sect form of political organization, a bastard form of the Leninist party that has all but dominated the minuscule and embattled American radical left for the past half century. The political landscape has changed in a way that has rendered these groups obsolete, removing the sectarian left's monopoly on socialist politics in the US, but what will replace it?Dare we be hopeful for a bright new era?LOLThe New Communist Movement: An Obituaryhttps://www.marxists.org/history/erol/ncm-7/mrl-obit.htm?fbclid=IwAR21HRylPBOW_OuyET7G4gIdgQnTHI_Qfy430OQnF9f_vScuQG3zIunN_q4Hal Draper’s the Anatomy of the Microsecthttps://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1973/xx/microsect.htmHal Draper’s the Alternative to the Microsect https://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1971/alt/alt.htmWarning about microsect organizing from David McNally in 2009http://davidmcnally.org/p=1077&fbclid=IwAR1giyezHhZfnQPDzKvu2YvJoBp31_JWtnSXDBqypJ_saOd8GIlZeih7mt0Socialism In One Organizationhttps://failedharvest.com/blog/socialism1orgJohn Riddell on the SWPPart Onehttps://johnriddell.wordpress.com/2012/07/05/the-u-s-swp-attempts-an-outward-turn-1977-83/ Part Twohttps://johnriddell.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/causes-of-a-socialist-collapse-the-u-s-swp-1976-83/ The Sect Systemhttps://libcom.org/library/sect-systemSong: Bill Bailey (The Ultimate Sectarian) Joe Glazer and Bill FriedmanSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

As a concept, as a slogan, as an expression of intent The Right to The City contains within it an opportunity for this generation to conceive of new methods of class struggle, of new models of class organization, and of the return of class power. It’s but one of many opportunities we have right now to advance a constructive, utopian, and revolutionary vision of the future. It’s about demystifying social relations where they are presently abstracted. It’s about no longer viewing  political activity as either pressuring politicians or becoming them. It’s about identifying what are presently hidden means of exerting our power as class to confront the class enemy, not just at work, but everywhere. Henri Lefebvre and the Right to the Cityhttp://faculty.washington.edu/mpurcell/jua_rtc.pdf Neoliberalism is a Political Project -- Harveyhttps://www.jacobinmag.com/2016/07/david-harvey-neoliberalism-capitalism-labor-crisis-resistance/ The Right to the City -- Harveyhttps://newleftreview.org/II/53/david-harvey-the-right-to-the-city PDF of Henri Lefebevre's Urban Revolution https://thecharnelhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Henri-Lefebvre-The-Urban-Revolution.pdfWritings on Cities -- Lefebvre https://thecharnelhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Henri-Lefebvre-Writings-on-Cities.pdfCritique of Urban Geography -- Debordhttps://www.cddc.vt.edu/sionline/presitu/geography.html Why Psychogeography?https://www.sayitwithpavingstones.org/news/2018/8/14/derive-0-why-psychogeography  Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

This week Chris and Jason sit down with Donald Parkinson-- the managing editor of Cosmonaut Magazine-- to discuss post apocalyptic eco-war communism, rekindling the Utopian imagination, the need for a post-tradition socialist movement, The DSA, The Marxist Center, Mike McNair, and some of the reasons Donald thinks we shouldn't be so pessimistic. Cosmonaut Magazinehttps://cosmonaut.blog/Outro Music: Eduard Artemyev- LullabySend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

This week the gang talks about the radical liberatory programs of the Bolsheviks, the failure of these programs, the conservative reaction of Stalin, and the renewed blossoming of these ideas in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War. We ultimately conclude the Warsaw Pact countries leave much to be desired in the way of workers' democracy, but also provide us with an example of what is possible when a society's resources are devoted to liberation instead of hoarded by the bourgeoisie. The USSR’s Founding Motherhttps://cosmonaut.blog/2018/10/08/the-ussrs-founding-mother/Liberation in the early days of the USSRhttps://isreview.org/issue/86/legacy-octoberBad Romance https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/11/women-better-sex-under-socialism-reviewWhy Women Had Better Sex Under Socialismhttps://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2017/08/12/opinion/why-women-had-better-sex-under-socialism.amp.htmlGhodsee, Kristen R. Why women have better sex under socialism : and other arguments for economic independence. New York: Nation Books, 2018.Music:  Ina Martell- Ich war alleinSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop

Kevin and Chris sat down with our old friend Steven; an attorney, Marxist and host of the defunct(ish?) Supreme Leap Forward Podcast to discuss Marxist criminology, prison, cops, and Soviet jurisprudence. We ultimately conclude that cops suck, prisons suck, the law is dumb, and the concept of the lumpenproletariat is something that we need to keep arguing about. Hal Draper essay mentioned in the episode:The concept of the Lumpenproletariat in Marx and Engels- Hal Draper Kevin and Steven's Marxist Law Podcast featuring Chris Supreme Leap Forward Episode 12 - Game Of Owns and Feudal Law Steven's essay mentioned in the episode:Understanding Crime Under Capitalism: A Critique of American Criminal Justice and Introduction to Marxist Jurisprudence- Steven Gilmore The Works of Evegny Pshukanis:https://www.marxists.org/archive/pashukanis/index.htmSend us a message (sorry we can't respond on here). Support the showVisit the Regrettable Century Merch Shop