Cosmopod is the official podcast of Cosmonaut Magazine, a project dedicated to expanding the project of scientific socialism in the 21st Century. In our feed we...
The Untold Story of Gerry Healy and British Trotskyism by Aidan Beatty
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.
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1:35:55
Somalia: Colonialism, Socialism and War
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.
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2:32:08
Where is the working class' power? An interview with Peter Olney and John Womack
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.
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1:29:15
Ba'ath and Ba'ath: Arab Socialism in Syria and Iraq
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
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2:13:16
Marxism, Labourism, and the Roots of British Communism, 1884-1921 with Tony Collins
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.
Cosmopod is the official podcast of Cosmonaut Magazine, a project dedicated to expanding the project of scientific socialism in the 21st Century. In our feed we have a combination of podcast episodes and audio articles from our website.