Cosmopod

Donald Parkinson sits down with Mike Taber, editor of 'Under the Socialist Banner', a collection of resolutions from the Congresses of the Second International's revolutionary period (1889-1912). Donald and Taber go through the various Congresses and discuss their approaches to a variety of issues such as imperialism, the general strike, immigration, women's emancipation, colonialism, and cooperatives. Struggles between reformists and revolutionaries, militarists and militarists, orthodox Marxists and revisionists would culminate in the collapse of the International with the outbreak of World War One. Taber and Parkinson discuss these struggles and the overall strengths and weaknesses of the Second International.

Amelia Davenport and Renato Flores argue that social media cannot be ignored despite its negative effects on modern culture. Instead, the left needs its own approach to social media that takes into account the values encoded into tech platforms. Narrated by: Allen Lanterman Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.

Amelia Davenport argues for the relevance of cybernetics to the project of developing a communism that transcends the modernist project. Read by Will Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.

Rudy joins Robbie McVeigh and Bill Rolston, authors of Anois ar theacht an tSamhraidh: Ireland, Colonialism and the Unfinished Revolution for a discussion on Irish history from colonization to the present. We discuss the earliest colonization attempts, the Ulster plantation and the formation of the planter/gael binary and Protestant Ascendancy, the Act of Union and how the Act co-opted a Catholic minority and made colonialism in Ireland distinct. We then follow by discussion how Partition came about and the resulting Northern Ireland state through the Protestant Ascendancy period to the post-troubles Good Relations state. We also discuss the remaining the story of the remaining 26 counties, how they were thrust into whiteness first as a White Dominion and later as part of the EU, and how the contradiction between anti-imperialism and European citizenship plays out. We finish by discussing the prospects of a unified Ireland.

Alexander Gallus pushes against the haze of propaganda to assess the current course of the war between Ukraine and Russia. Article read aloud by John Turner.

Discussions revolve around Constructive Criticism: A Handbook, and how it utilizes Marxism and Maoism for self-criticism. The importance of unity and constructive criticism is explored, along with effective communication methods. They also discuss conflict resolution and the significance of vulnerability and equality in fostering a communist society.

Lydia Apolinar, Alexander Gallus, and Ryan Tool pay tribute to the revolutionary and plebeian origins of Christianity.  Read by William (Note: Originally Published December 25th 2020)

A lively discussion on the nuances of mentorship highlights the balance between guidance and independence. The hosts share personal tales about the challenges of nurturing activism while emphasizing the ethical responsibilities of mentors. Insights from psychology and popular culture, including Ted Lasso, illustrate the importance of clear communication. They tackle the dynamics of group support in political spaces and the need for resilience amidst challenges. Ultimately, the conversation celebrates the profound impact mentorship has on personal and collective growth.

Parker, James, Rudy and Cliff join for a discussion on the context of Lenin's State and Revolution, and how those ideas were applied in the early years of the Soviet government. We start by discussing the context of the book, especially in relationship with the recent audiobook by Kautsky on Democracy and Republicanism. We continue by discussing the debates in the Second International around the Paris Commune, the Immediate Genesis of the Book during the First World War, the text itself and its surrounding context, the ways in which the principles of the book were implemented after 1917, and why the early RSFSR government gave way to the dictatorship of the politburo. References:Étienne Balibar - On the Dictatorship of the ProletariatLara Douds - Inside Lenin's Government Ideology, Power and Practice in the Early Soviet State Shiela Fitzpatrick - The Russian Revolution Neil Harding - Lenin's Political Thought Alexander Rabinowitch - The Bolsheviks in Power: The first year of Soviet rule in Petrograd S. A. Smith - Red Petrograd: Revolution in the Factories, 1917-1918 Mark von Hagen - Soldiers in the Proletarian Dictatorship: The Red Army and the Soviet Socialist State, 1917-1930

Kim Moody, socialist and labor movement theorist, discusses his political origins, rank and file rebellion in the 1970s, the purpose of Labor Notes, his vision of political change through mass action, the Amazon Labor Union, and lessons for socialists today.