Teach Me Communism

This week we're reading one of Vladimir Lenin's premier texts, The State and Revolution. We talk about smashing, organizing, withering, oh my! Sound note: there were some loud dogs in the background, along with a very squeaky door letting them in and out of the house. Apologies for the noise! You can access this text for free at marxists.org, or get Grady and Christine's notes on Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism.   Check us out on social media: Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!   Solidarity forever!

While a real-life megacorporation tries to crush its workers' attempts to unionize, we watch a sci-fi version of our world that's sadly not too far off the mark: the 2018 film Sorry to Bother You, directed by Boots Riley. We bemoan corporate nonsense, crush on various actors, yap about art, and there's a horse, of course.   Check us out on social media: Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism  And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!   Solidarity forever!  

From anarcho-communism to transhumanism, we go through the many types of anarchism out there, giving brief definitions, explanations, and of course, some opinions. And for our bonus segment, we talk about the board game Monopoly.   Check us out on social media! Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism  And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!   Solidarity forever!

In today's episode, we continue our biography of Mao Zedong, starting from the Proclamation of the People's Republic of China and ending with, surprisingly, Mao's death. We'll discuss things like land reform, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution, and of course we'll wrap up with our own conclusions and analysis at the end.   Because Mao is quite controversial, our approach in these two episodes is bound to draw criticisms from a variety of perspectives. Just a friendly reminder that we love all of our wonderful listeners, even when we disagree.   Check us out on social media! Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism  And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!   Solidarity forever!

Another biography, and this time it's a long one! In part 1 we cover Mao's early life, his beginnings as a communist leader, the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese Civil War, and up to the declaration of the People's Republic of China.   Check us out on social media! Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism  And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!    Solidarity forever!

Over the months of doing this show we’ve gotten lots of questions in the vein of “how do I spread the good news of communism”?So in this episode we talk about tips, strategies, and comebacks for converting the liberal in your life. Go forth and proselytize! Apologies for the audio quality on this one; there was construction going on outside.   Check us out on social media! Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism  And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!    Solidarity forever!  

It's movie night again! We're watching the new film about the Black Panthers, Judas and the Black Messiah, directed by Shaka King. We talk about how the film covers the Panthers, how to spot a bad liar, and of course, we bemoan the current state of our revolution (or lack thereof).    Check us out on social media! Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism  And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!    Solidarity forever!

We're starting a new series on the revolutionary movement in Ireland. Part 1 covers the initial imperial subjugation of Ireland, the Easter Rising, and all the way through to the Election of 1918. In particular we focus in on James Connolly, and how his socialist ideals affected the revolution.    Check us out on social media! Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism  And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!    Solidarity forever!

In today's episode, we talk communes in the most unlikely of places: Texas. From early utopian socialist projects and their many struggles to more modern day attempts to build a life off the grid, Christine leads our discussion of the cool (and not so cool) features of Texas communes and their place in the leftist movement.   Check us out on social media! Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism    And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!   Solidarity forever!

It’s time to talk about Christine’s “favorite” thing: charity. We start with a reading from Andrew Carnegie, who has some... ideas. Then we talk about how charity isn’t the solution and do a lot of yelling about rich people. Classic stuff.    Check us out on social media! Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism    And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!   Solidarity forever!

We dive back into the troubled waters of Eduardo Galeano's Open Veins of Latin America. Of course there's imperialism and exploitation, but this time we learn about foreign "aid" and why there should always be quotation marks around that phrase.   Check us out on social media! Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism  And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!   Solidarity forever!

This week we dive into the brutalization and imperialism of Latin America by reading Eduardo Galeano’s preeminent book on the subject. From conquest to resource extraction to puppet dictators, we learn how and why this continent has been pillaged for profit.    Check us out on social media! Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism    And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!   Solidarity forever!

For this mailbag episode, we tackle prison abolition, study tips, Marxist theory, India's general strike, a cool Milwaukee mayor, meditation, landlords, and the fact that Christine is, in fact, smart. And hot. Yes, they're writing the episode notes this week, how could you tell?   Check us out on social media: Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism  And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!   Solidarity forever!

In today's episode, we learn about Vladimir Lenin, a guy who actually knew how to violently seize power... and a guy that got things done. Whether that's for good or for ill is for you to decide. We'll discuss the good and the bad, the feuds and the theoretical developments, and of course, that revolution. Enjoy!   Check us out on social media! Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism    And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!   Solidarity forever!

To round out 2020 and ring in a new year, we’re finishing up a two-part reading series on Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Friedrich Engels. We’re covering the last section, which is all about how capitalism is pretty much doomed. Will we all go down with the ship, or will we free ourselves and finally leave behind the struggle for survival as just a relic of our past. Let’s see what Engels predicts! Be a nerd and read along with us! Break out your own trusted copy or find one online for free here: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1880/soc-utop/index.htm   Check us out on social media! Instagram: @teachmecommunism Twitter: @teachcommunism Gmail: teachmecommunism@gmail.com Patreon: Patreon.com/teachmecommunism    And like and subscribe to us at Teach Me Communism on YouTube!   Solidarity forever!