Isaac, Cliff, and Jay interview Chad Pearson, author of the book Capital's Terrorists: Klansmen, Lawmen, and Employers in the Long Nineteenth Century. We discuss the armed, violent employer associations of the turn of the century, from the Klan to the Pinkertons. While most of our episodes look at the organization and self-activity of the oppressed, here we look at the organizers, activists, and agitators of the propertied. We discuss the ideological underpinnings of American vigilantism and the legacy of violence in American history.

Rudy joins Miguel Gómez, author of La CNT y la Nueva Economía: Del colectivismo empresarial a la planificación de la economía confederal (1936-1939) for a discussion on the most prominent Spanish anarchist union, the Confederación Nacional del Trabajo. We talk about the origins of the CNT, its base, its history under the Primo de Rivera dictatorship and its reactions to the formation of the Spanish Republic. We then talk about the currents within the CNT, and their ideas for what the economy should look like after the revolution, before turning to the time where they were able to put those ideas into practice during the Civil War. Finally, we discuss the intellectual highpoint of the CNT's economic program: the ideas about cooperative socialism proposed in 1938.

Amelia, Carlos and Rudy sit down for the follow-up episode on the Mexican revolution to discuss the consolidation of the revolutionary state with a focus on the figure of Lázaro Cárdenas. They discuss the origins of yellow unionism and agrarian reform in Mexico, the presidency of Plutarco Calles and the Cristero War, and the radical period in the 1930s which led to mass expropriations, the nationalization of oil and a radical international policy.

Bibliography: B. Carr - Marxism & Communism in Twentieth-Century Mexico J. Cockroft - Mexico, Class Formation, Capital Accumulation, and the State G. Correa-Cabrera, R. A. Ragland - Workers, parties and a “New Deal:” A comparative analysis of corporatist alliances in Mexico, and the United States, 1910–1940 E. Ginzberg - Revolutionary Ideology and Political Destiny in Mexico, 1928-1934: Lazaro Cardenas and Adalberto Tejeda A. Knight - The Mexican Revolution: A Very Short Introduction T. Rath - Cardenismo, Revolutionary Citizenship, and the Redefinition of Mexican Militarism, 1934–1940 M. K. Vaughan - Cultural Politics in Revolution: Teachers, Peasants, and Schools in Mexico, 1930-1940 M. K. Vaughan, S. Lewis (ed.) - The Eagle and the Virgin: Nation and Cultural Revolution in Mexico, 1920–1940

James and Rudy join Aidan Beatty, author of The Party is Always Right: The Untold Story of Gerry Healy and British Trotskyism for a discussion on Gerry Healy. We discuss the figure of Gerry Healy, and his contextualization within the British left in the interwar and post-WW2 period and the evolution of his organization up to its dissolution by its own members. We also discuss the strict internal regime of the organizations he lead, the Socialist Labour League and the Workers Revolutionary Party, relating them to wider practices or accusations of cult-like behavior on the left.

Warning: this episode includes some minor references to the sexual harassment cases in the SLL/WRP.

Eric and Rob join Abdi for a discussion on Somalia from the colonial period to the present. They discuss the formation of the Somali people, the long and conflictual relationship to Ethiopia, British and Italian colonization and Somali independence before moving on to the scientific socialist period under Siad Barre. They discuss the achievements of this period, the origins of the Ogaden War conflict, and the abandonment of the USSR and of Socialism. They then discuss the disintegration of the Somali state, the long civil war, and the Islamic Court Union period, before giving some thoughts on the present.

Peter Olney is a labor organizer of over half a century, long-time organizing director at the ILWU, and researcher on labor strategy. John Womack is a Harvard historian of the labor movement and the Mexican Revolution. In this episode they sit down with Ira and Rudy to discuss Peter and John’s 2023 book Labor, Power, and Strategy. They discuss the controversial approach of organizing workers in the choke points of production, what it will take to rebuild the labor movement, and new opportunities for working class internationalism.

Eric, Andrew and Rudy join for a discussion on the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party in the two regions where it held power: Syria and Iraq, covering the history of both countries from the dissolution of the Ottoman empire up to the Hama Rebellion in Syria and the Kuwait War in Iraq. Among other topics we discuss the more military and sectarian character of the party in Syria, the 'left' and 'right' wings of Ba'athism, the figures of Salah Jadid, Hafez Assad and Saddam Hussein, the relationship between Ba'athism and Communism in Syria and Iraq, and what Ba'athism actually was as well as its relationship to Nasserism.

S. Aburish - Saddam Hussein: The Politics of Revenge H. Batatu - The old social classes and the revolutionary movements of Iraq N. van Dam - The Struggle for Power in Syria: Politics and Society under Asad and the Ba'th Party R. A. Hinnebusch - Syria: Revolution from Above  E. Kienle - Ba'ath vs Ba'ath: The Conflict Between Syria And Iraq, 1968-1989 M. Khadduri - Independent Iraq 1932-1958: A Study in Iraqi Politics  M. Khadduri - Republican Iraq: A Study in Iraqi Politics since the Revolution of 1958  M. Khadduri - Socialist Iraq: A Study in Iraqi politics since 1968 T. Ismael - The Communist Movement in Syria and Lebanon  T. Ismael - The rise and fall of the Communist Party of Iraq 

Rudy and Andreas join Tony Collins, author of Raising the Red Flag. Marxism, Labourism, and the Roots of British Communism, 1884–1921 for a discussion on the origins of the British Marxist movement from the creation of the Social Democratic Federation to the foundation of the Communist Party. We cover some of the important groups of the British Left at the time, the labor militancy before and during and after the First World War, and the founding of the Communist Party of Great Britain detailing which groups did not join the party. We discuss the weaknesses of the CPGB in the issues of Colonialism and its relationship to the Labour party before finishing with a discussion of how past issues can be reflected in the present.

Tony Unger sets the record straight on Rhode Island DSA’s political experiences with the Democratic Party and need for class independence. 

Read By: Christina Carman

Intro Music: ворожное озеро Гроза vwqp remix Outro Music: We are Friends Forever performed by Felix Dzerzhinsky Guards Regiment.

Rudy joins Miguel, amateur historian of Hawai'i for a discussion on the history and present of the islands. We cover the first contact, the unification of the Hawai'ian kingdom, its pan-Oceanic profile, the overthrow of the Monarchy which leads to annexation and the Democratic Revolution before talking about the present struggles around military bases, tourism, land and water as well as the way that Hawai'ian identity has changed through the years.

References:

No Makou Ka Mana: Liberating the Nation Paperback – Kamanamaikalani Beamer Who Owns the Crown Lands of Hawai‘i? - Jon M. Van Dyke A Power in the World: The Hawaiian Kingdom in Oceania - Lorenz Gonschor Pacific Gibraltar: U.S.-Japanese Rivalry Over the Annexation of Hawaii, 1885-1898 - William Michael Morgan From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawaii - Haunani-Kay Trask

Articles:

Amid Calls For Diversification, A Look Back At Hawaii's History of Single-Industry Dominance

When a State of Emergency is Declared, We Should All be Alarmed

Ige and Integrity: Machine Politics and Special Interests