In Episode 20 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg discusses the

forgotten legacy of libertarian socialism -- considered by many today a

contradiction in terms. While the word "socialism" is suddenly viewed as

legitimate in American political discourse again for the first time in

generations, the word "libertarian" continues to be associated with the

free-market right -- despite its origins on the anarchist left. Weinberg

discusses his own involvement in New York's Libertarian Book Club -- founded

by anarchist exiles from Europe in the 1940s, to keep alive their ideals and

pass the torch to a new generation. Libertarian socialists seek inspiration in

such historical episodes as the Zapatistas in Mexico (1910-19), Makhnovists in

Ukraine (1917-21), Spanish anarchists in Catalonia (1936-7), and Zapatistas in

Mexico again (1994-date) -- peasants and workers who took back the land and

the factories, building socialism from below, without commissars or

politburos. Other movements inspired by this vision on the world stage today

include anarchist-influenced elements of Syria's civil resistance, and the

autonomous zone of northern Syria's Rojava Kurds. Weinberg argues that far

from being an irrelevant anachronism, a libertarian socialist vision is

necessary for human survival. Listen on SoundCloud, and support our podcast via Patreon.

Music: Leon Rosselson's World Turned Upside Down, performed by Bill Weinberg

Production by Chris Rywalt

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