Fascism and the Bankruptcy of Ruling Class Liberalism
On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss Donald Trump's plan to speak at a nationally televised press conference on the anniversary of the January 6 assault on Congress, Israel's massive bombing of a Syrian port city, the havoc caused by the Omicron variant, how the United States is moving aggressively toward war with Russia over Ukraine, and more. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
4 Jan 20221h 18min
Preparing for War: Industrialization and the Fascist Threat — Lessons of Soviet History, Part 3
The Soviet Union survived its tumultuous first post-revolutionary years of civil war and imperialist invasion, but found itself isolated in a hostile, capitalist-dominated world. The Soviet government embarked on an all-out campaign of industrialization and collectivization that achieved a pace of economic development unparalleled in human history. But at the same time, the menace of fascism was rising, and the leadership of the Communist Party struggled through a string of shifts and policy reversals in international politics. In the end, 27 million Soviet citizens gave their lives in World War Two to defeat the Nazi war machine. To discuss this period from the 1920s to the onset of World War II, Brian is joined by Carlos Martinez, author of “The End of the Beginning: Lessons of the Soviet Collapse,” co-founder of the No Cold War Campaign, and editor of the political analysis site Invent-The-Future.org. This is part 3 of the series “The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union -- Lessons for Socialists.” Watch the NEW video edition of “The Real Story” on BreakThrough News! Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
23 Dec 20211h 16min
Manchin is the Symptom, Capitalism is the Disease
On today's episode Brian and Prof. Richard Wolff discuss how Joe Manchin took his war on workers to new lows over the weekend as he announced on Fox News that he was pulling out of negotiations with the White House over the “Build Back Better” social programs. But these negotiations have long been a farce. From the beginning, Biden pursued a ridiculous strategy, praising Manchin in public instead of building pressure and offering concession after concession. Now the situation has reached an impasse that only mass struggle can break. Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can check out his work at rdwolff.com. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
22 Dec 202132min
Joe Manchin's War Against Workers
On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how after months of talking, begging and offering concessions the Biden administration’s dead-end strategy of appeasing right wing Democrat Joe Manchin has gone up in flames. Now Manchin wants to pulls the plug on the “build back better” social programs entirely, and only a people's movement can stop him. They also discuss the victory of Gabriel Boric over his fascist opponent in the Chilean presidential election, new revelations about the scale of civilian casualties from U.S. airstrikes, the spread of the omicron variant, and more. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
21 Dec 20211h 27min
Red Star Over the Third World w/ Vijay Prashad: Lessons of Soviet History, Part 2
Russia’s October Revolution in 1917 and the rise of Soviet power reverberated across the world, from Latin America to Africa to Asia, and Middle East – that part of the world that lived under the ravages of colonialism and under-development. To discuss the impact of the Russian Revolution on the peoples of the world who lived under the yoke of colonial and domination, Brian is joined by Vijay Prashad, the Executive Director of the Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, Chief Editor of LeftWord Books, a prolific author and the author of “Red Star Over the Third World.” This is part 2 of the series “The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union -- Lessons for Socialists.” Watch the NEW video edition of “The Real Story” on BreakThrough News! Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
16 Dec 20211h 23min
Worshiping at the Altar of Billionaires
Elon Musk is TIME magazine's Person of the Year this year, despite gaining more than $225 billion dollars over the course of the pandemic, while hundreds of thousands of Americans died. Why does the mainstream capitalist culture worship him and billionaires like him? Professor Richard Wolff is an author & co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work. You can check out his work at rdwolff.com. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
15 Dec 202132min
Capitalism and Imperialism: A Global System of Death
On today's In the News roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss how workers are bearing the deadly brunt of the devastating tornadoes that ripped across the country. They also cover new revelations about US war crimes in Syria, a military coverup on the Jan. 6 attack, an extradition ruling against heroic journalist Julian Assange, the courageous hunger strike of women in ICE detention in Louisiana, and more. The following articles are referenced in today's episode: Tornado Left Deadly Path of Destruction up to 250 Miles Long in Kentucky, Five Other States https://www.wsj.com/articles/rescuers-search-for-those-missing-after-destructive-tornadoes-in-kentucky-illinois-11639325118 Civilian Deaths Mounted as Secret Unit Pounded ISIS https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/12/us/civilian-deaths-war-isis.html Starbucks workers win historic first union: “If we can do this here, you can do this too” https://www.liberationnews.org/starbucks-workers-win-historic-first-union-if-we-can-do-this-here-you-can-do-this-too/ Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
14 Dec 20211h 25min
The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union -- Lessons for Socialists
The Russian Revolution in 1917 brought the Bolsheviks to power. For the first time in history the working class seized and held state power. What was the experience of the Soviet Union? How did it change global politics in the 20th century? What did socialism achieve and what caused the Soviet Union to fall in 1991? In Part 1, we explore the socialist revolution that brought the Soviet Union into existence and the civil war that immediately followed. Millions died defending the new country, defeating the counter-revolution but then facing the enormous task of rebuilding a nation devastated by war. Watch the NEW video edition of “The Real Story” on BreakThrough News! In the first part of this series, Brian is joined by Carlos Martinez, author of “The End of the Beginning: Lessons of the Soviet Collapse,” co-founder of the No Cold War Campaign, and editor of the political analysis site Invent-The-Future.org. Please make an urgently-needed contribution to The Socialist Program by joining our Patreon community at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram. We rely on the generous support of our listeners to keep bringing you consistent, high-quality shows. All Patreon donors of $5 a month or more are invited to join the monthly Q&A seminar with Brian.
9 Dec 20211h 5min
