Actually Existing Socialism

Holly High, an anthropologist who does field work in Laos, joins the show to discuss her book, "Projectland: Life in a Lao Socialist Model Village". In this final part of our two part discussion we look at socialist democracy and culture in Laos. We cover what political participation looks like in Laos today including the real life functioning of a one party socialist state, democratic centralism, and consultative democracy. We also talk about what  “culture” and “policy” means in Laos and the wider socialist tradition and how it differs from liberal notions of those concepts and much more!' More info about Holly's work and this episode's discussion can be found at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/laos-socialist-78052179 Episode Credits Intro Music: Cushy - Canada (Royalty Free Music)  Opening Interlude Voiceover: August 23, 1975 New Communist Laos Documentary - UPITN Opening Interlude Music/Outro Music: Central Cee - LET GO (Instrumental) 

Holly High, an anthropologist who does field work in Laos, joins the show to discuss her book, "Projectland: Life in a Lao Socialist Model Village". In this first part of our two part discussion we look at the revolutionary origins of Laos. We begin with the pre-revolutionary period when Lao was under colonial rule and end with the successful People's War of 1945-1975 including the horrific bombing campaign carried out by the US which shapes the country to this day. Holly leads us into this history through the lens of the ethnic minority Kantu people whose experience and culture give a unique perspective of Laos’ successful socialist revolution. More info about this episode can be found at: https://www.patreon.com/posts/laos-origins-of-77299787 Intro Music: The Leftovers - The Departure Suite Opening Interlude Voiceover: Chomsky talks about the US war on Laos Opening Interlude Music/Outro Music: Cushy - Voice (Royalty Free Music)  

We continue the enlightening discussion with Victor Grossman, a former American soldier who defected to East Germany in 1952.  In this concluding episode we cover Victor's life as a journalist in East Germany and what that meant in terms of censorship and free expression, his bombshell reporting on "former" Nazi's active in the West Germant government and in the nascent North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), his perspectives on the Berlin Wall as an East Berliner, his run ins with the East German Stasi and the American FBI, as well as what led to the eventual demise of the East Germany also known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR).  Victor brings his unique and balanced perspective laying out both the positive and negatives of this former nation that was committed to building socialism.  The two memoirs he wrote recounting his life story are called "Crossing the River — A Memoir of the American Left, the Cold War, and Life in East Germany" and "A Socialist Defector: From Harvard to Karl-Marx-Allee". This is part two of a two part discussion.  More info regarding our discussion can be found on the patreon posting of this episode: (COMING SOON)

Victor Grossman, a former American solider who defected to East Germany in 1952, joins the show to discuss his remarkable life and experiences in this short lived socialist nation.  We cover Victor's activism in the American communist movement of the 1940s including his participation in the Black freedom struggle of that era, the circumstances surrounding his defection, and what life was actually like living in a nation committed to building socialism - both the good and bad.  The two memoirs he wrote recounting his life story are called "Crossing the River — A Memoir of the American Left, the Cold War, and Life in East Germany" and "A Socialist Defector: From Harvard to Karl-Marx-Allee". This is part one of a two part discussion.  More info regarding our discussion can be found on the patreon posting of this episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/72903231 Episode Credits Intro Music: (Dark Emotional Ambient Chill Trap Beat - Agony)   Opening Interlude Voice Over: (The McCarren Act and the Efforts of Senator Joseph McCarthy)   Opening Interlude Music: (Dark Emotional Ambient Chill Trap Beat - Fallen Angel)        

Steve Paxton, joins the show to discuss his book, "Unlearning Marx: Why the Soviet Failure was a Triumph for Marx". The book focuses on Marx's theory of history and how Marx foresaw the unsustainability of a successful socialist revolution in the Soviet Union decades before it formed.   Some of what we talk about in this episode includes understanding what conservatives and socialists have to "unlearn" about Marx, we dissect and debunk popular anti-socialist critiques such as "Socialism Always Fails" and "Communism killed 100 million people" and we review the history of the Soviet Union through the lens of Marx's theory of history which reveals an ironic outcome!   More info regarding our discussion can be found on the patreon posting of this episode: (COMING SOON)

Bruni de la Motte, born and raised in East Germany, joins the show to discuss her book "Stasi State or Socialist Paradise?: The German Democratic Republic and What Became of It". The purpose of her book, which she co-authored with John Greene, is to provide a more balanced take on East Germany then what is popularly remembered of this ambitious socialist experiment.   Some of what we cover includes looking at the German left in the lead up to the second World War and their dire predicament under Nazi rule; why East and West Germany were split in the first place; the Berlin Wall; triumphs of their socialist system, Bruni's experiences living there, and valid criticisms of East Germany that eventually led to it's demise.   More info regarding our discussion can be found on the patreon posting of this episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/70904608

Samantha Lomb, a PHD in Russian history, joins the show to discuss her book "Stalin’s Constitution: Soviet Participatory Politics and the Discussion of the 1936 Draft Constitution".   Based on her studies of soviet archives Samantha guides us through a discussion of how the average Soviet citizen participated in reforming their new constitution in 1936 (one of the most progressive constitutions ever written!) ; the role of the press in their society, what living on a collective farm was like, the endemic lawlessness and violence of the countryside; the purges of 1936-1937 and addressing whether calling the Soviet Union "totalitarian" holds any validity. And that is just a taste!   Samantha's "free to access" book and more information regarding our discussion can be found on the patreon posting of this episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/70042715   Episode Credits Intro:  ("Wistful" produced by Maxi Beatz) Outro: (Internationale Trap Remix by Matt Cousins) Opening Interlude Voiceover: (USSR 1936 Consitution read by Nils Paulsson) Opening Interlude Music:  ("Fair" produced by Y-2)

Calla Walsh, anti-imperialist writer and organizer, joins the show to discuss her article published in Multipolarista titled "Abortion in Cuba vs US shows which country is truly democratic".   We cover her organizing experiences and her recent visit to Cuba as a member of a her local Cuba solidarity group. In our in-depth discussion we compare the reality of Cuba's thriving socialist democracy to that of the illusory capitalist democracy of the United States through examining protections and status of abortion rights in the two countries.  Calla can be found on twitter: @CallaWalsh   To learn more about the National Network on Cuba check out: nnoc.info   The article and more information regarding our discussion can be found on the patreon posting of this episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/69206196/ Episode Credits Intro/Outro: (Internationale Trap Remix by Matt Cousins) Opening Interlude Voiceover: (When the People Rule by Fidel Castro - Read by Socialism For All) Opening Interlude Music:  ("Jump" - Hype Freestyle Type Beat by Zach)

Alice and Dennis Bartels, authors of 'When the North Was Red: Aboriginal Education in Soviet Siberia', discuss their extensive ethnographic research on Indigenous peoples of the Soviet Union. Topics include the differences between Soviet and North American Indigenous experiences, their own experience researching during the Cold War, changes in Soviet policy towards Indigenous peoples, and the resistance against industrial development in Siberia and Canada.

Alice and Dennis Bartels, authors of 'When the North Was Red: Aboriginal Education in Soviet Siberia', discuss their extensive research on the Indigenous peoples of the Soviet Union. They delve into the differences between their experience and the genocidal experience of Indigenous peoples in North America. Topics include living in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the impact of neoliberal reforms after the Soviet Union's dissolution, and the experiences of Indigenous peoples in the Soviet Union.