Spectre of Communism

Spectre of Communism

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Are you a communist? Think we need a revolution? Tune into the official podcast of the International Marxist Tendency, for communist theory, analysis and history, every week! Under the crisis-ridden capitalist system, humanity lurches from one disaster to another. War, poverty and precarity are facts of life for millions. Given the circumstances, it is no surprise that an unprecedented number of workers and young people are being drawn to the revolutionary banner of communism. But what does it mean to be a communist? What is the communist perspective on the most pressing questions facing humanity: like armed conflict, the climate crisis, technological development, inequality, and so on? In what philosophical and historical traditions do we stand? How do we answer typical right-wing objections to communism? The purpose of this podcast is to arm our listeners with the ideas and arguments necessary to defend the principles of communism, to win others over to a revolutionary perspective, and develop their own mastery of Marxist theory.

IMT - www.marxist.com


    • Sep 19, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 48m AVG DURATION
    • 59 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Spectre of Communism

    Israel, Ukraine and the threat of World War Three

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2024 68:33


    Are we on the edge of a third World War? The Spectre of Communism podcast is back for a new season. Our first episode welcomes Hamid Alizadeh, a leading comrade of the Revolutionary Communist International (RCI), to discuss the two central conflicts in the world today: the Middle East and Ukraine, and the madmen driving […]

    Interview with Fiona Lali: Suella is a symptom, capitalism is the disease

    Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2024 26:58


    Fiona Lali recently shot to prominence, and stunned former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman, when she publicly branded Suella a “war monger” and a “liar” for her support for the genocide in Gaza. Fiona's words chimed with millions of workers and youth who have seen this clip, and who are sick and tired of this […]

    Encampments for Palestine: reports from the front lines

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2024 72:31


    As the horrors of Israel's war on Gaza continue to escalate, a wave of student protests has erupted in solidarity with the Palestinians: drawing comparisons with the anti-Vietnam War movement. Starting in the USA, the encampments quickly spread internationally, meeting with press slander and brutal police repression. In this special episode, we speak with four […]

    Why we need a Communist International – season FINALE!

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2024 62:51


    In June, the International Marxist Tendency will take the monumental step of founding a new Revolutionary Communist International (RCI), to provide communist workers and youth around the world with a bold rallying point in the struggle to overthrow capitalism. In doing so, the RCI will build on the immense revolutionary legacy left behind by the […]

    Why AI under capitalism is a failure

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2024 60:19


    Advances in artificial intelligence continue to make headlines, as AI has begun to play a role in everything from art and journalism to conspiracy theories and unemployment. While AI is clearly here to stay, it is equally clear that the capitalist class has no interest in using it to its fullest. Once again, capitalism's brutal […]

    Art, culture and the Russian Revolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2024 45:47


    Communism is often presented by its enemies as being at best uninterested in art and culture, and at worst openly hostile to anything but the crudest propaganda. This is completely at odds with the approach of Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and genuine communists today. The Russian Revolution ushered in an explosion of artistic creativity, which […]

    Would communists ban religion?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2024 50:11


    Communists are often slandered by our enemies as wanting to violently suppress and ‘ban' religion. While Marxism is a materialist philosophy, and therefore uncompromisingly atheist, the policy of Marxists towards religion bears absolutely no resemblance to this crude caricature. As Marx explained, the oppressed and exploited masses turn to religion not for abstract reasons, but […]

    Manifesto of the Revolutionary Communist International

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2024 58:12


    Yesterday, the International Marxist Tendency proudly published the Manifesto of the Revolutionary Communist International: a call to arms for all communists who want to put an end to the rotten capitalist system once and for all. If you agree with our analysis, register now for the founding conference of the RCI in June, and help […]

    Honour Aaron Bushnell: fight for revolution!

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2024 53:13


    On 25 February, 25-year-old US airforce serviceman, Aaron Bushnell, took his own life by self-immolation outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, in protest at US imperialism's support for the crimes being carried out by the IDF. His last words, livestreamed to the world, were: “Free Palestine!” Just days later, IDF soldiers murdered over 100 civilians […]

    Lies about Lenin: DEBUNKED

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2024 44:19


    Few people in history are more slandered than Vladimir Lenin. From school textbooks to the capitalist press, the ruling class are desperate to blacken Lenin's name wherever they get the opportunity. But how should communists respond? 100 years after his death, the capitalist smear campaign against the greatest revolutionary that has ever lived has not […]

    What is capitalism?

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2024 44:34


    We are often told that capitalism is the most efficient economic system; that markets are rational tools for distribution; and that only under capitalism can people live free and fair lives. However, while capitalism might enrich a parasitic handful, it is fundamentally a system of oppression and exploitation for the vast majority of humanity. But […]

    Unrest on every continent: how communists are mobilising!

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2024 49:24


    This week's special episode was recorded during the recent meeting of the global leadership of the International Marxist Tendency in Italy. We hear reports from the front lines of the class struggle from five leading comrades involved in building revolutionary communist organisations in: South Africa, Argentina, Pakistan, France and the United States. The class struggle […]

    Defend the Cuban Revolution!

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2024 25:55


    The Cuban Revolution is rightly considered an inspiration by communists worldwide. This tremendous movement threw off the chains of capitalism and US imperialism, opening the way for incredible social, economic and technological advances in what had previously been a brutally oppressed society. Today, however, the Cuban Revolution faces a number of perils. This week's episode […]

    Is communism against human nature?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2024 33:03


    A textbook argument against communism is that, although it may sound nice, it is fundamentally “against human nature”. Many communists will be sick and tired of hearing this accusation, but what actually is ‘human nature'? How should communists respond to this claim? This week's episode of Spectre of Communism welcomes Ben Curry, writer and editor […]

    In defence of Lenin

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2024 66:49


    With capitalism in its deepest-ever crisis, it is more important than ever for communists to defend the immortal achievements of one of the greatest revolutionaries the world has ever seen. For this reason, 2024's first episode of Spectre of Communism looks at the real life and ideas of Lenin.  The episode welcomes Rob Sewell, editor […]

    Spectre of Communism Podcast intro theme

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2024 0:35


    By popular demand, here is our intro (and outro) theme. Credit to composer Comrade David (Insta: @hiimdavej).

    Palestine: a communist perspective

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2023 51:28


    Israel's ongoing war on Gaza is undoubtedly the defining political event of 2023. The entire political establishment has lined up behind Israel, justifying a brutal military campaign of collective punishment against the Palestinians (which has killed around 20,000 civilians so far) as “self defence.” While liberals, reformists and even some self-proclaimed “communists” parrot the rhetoric […]

    The Origins of Christianity

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2023 63:53


    It's the festive season, and the Spectre of Communism podcast is welcoming Alan Woods (marxist.com editor-in-chief) onto a special live episode to discuss the origins of Christianity from a Marxist perspective. This is a fascinating story of revolution and counter-revolution in the ancient world. Despite the reactionary nature of Christianity today, the first Christians were […]

    LIVE tomorrow (7pm UK Time): ‘The Origins of Christianity’ – Spectre of Communism podcast

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2023 1:02


    It's the festive season, and the Spectre of Communism podcast is welcoming Alan Woods (marxist.com editor-in-chief) onto a special live episode to discuss the origins of Christianity from a Marxist perspective. This is a fascinating story of revolution and counter-revolution in the ancient world. We will broadcast the episode tomorrow (12 December) at 7pm British […]

    Napoleon: Marxism vs movie myths

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2023 47:05


    Ridley Scott's recent biopic Napoleon has evoked much criticism for its shallow narrative and plethora of historical inaccuracies. But who was the real Napoleon Bonaparte? How did a young Corsican from a relatively modest background become the strongman behind an empire that would dominate Europe? This week's episode of the Spectre of Communism Podcast welcomes […]

    What is the state, and how do we smash it?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2023 33:30


    Many people think of the state as a huge collection of bureaucratic offices and institutions that have little to do with our daily lives. Some have illusions in the state as a neutral arbiter over society, operating on the basis of universal principles of ‘democracy' and ‘rule of law'. But for countless workers and youths […]

    Is China Communist?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2023 41:01


    The Chinese Communist Party and its defenders claim that China is building a successful socialist society, and is at the forefront of an anti-imperialist struggle against the West. But is China communist? Does the legacy of the Chinese Revolution live on today in the CCP? In reality, despite the enormous achievements of the Chinese Revolution, […]

    What will communism look like?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2023 38:09


    Right-wingers claim that communism would be a dictatorial hellscape: nothing could be further from the truth. Communism means a society free from money, social classes, poverty and oppression, where people live “from each according to their ability, each according to their needs.” But what would such a society look like, and how do we get […]

    The Russian Revolution: the greatest event in history

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2023 59:32


    7 November (in the New Style calendar) marks the anniversary of the 1917 October Revolution in Russia. For communists, the Russian Revolution is the greatest event in human history. But for many right-wing, liberal and reformist critics of Lenin and the Bolsheviks, it was an anti-democratic catastrophe that condemned Russia to murderous dictatorship. It's time […]

    Spectre of Communism: New IMT podcast out 7 November!

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 30, 2023 2:29


    A spectre is haunting all major podcast platforms… The International Marxist Tendency (IMT) is launching a new weekly podcast, the Spectre of Communism, to coincide with the anniversary of the Russian Revolution (7 November). The first episode will feature Alan Woods, editor-in-chief of marxist.com and author of Bolshevism: The Road to Revolution. Subscribe today, and […]

    Israel-Palestine: Intifada until victory!

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2023 44:38


    On Saturday 7 October, Hamas forces in Gaza launched an unexpected attack on Israel, triggering an immediate response from the Israeli Defence Force. Fundamentally, this is a conflict between unequal forces, as the Palestinian masses have for decades been the victims of a regime of terror promoted by the likes of Netanyahu and Israel's imperialist […]

    Chile coup: 50 years on

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 11, 2023 64:53


    Today marks 50 years since the coup that overthrew the government of Salvador Allende in Chile. To remember the revolutionary struggles of this period and to emphasise the invaluable lessons contained therein, International Marxist Radio is back for a special episode. Allende's Popular Unity government, which carried out a series of major reforms for workers […]

    Why We Are Communists

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 2, 2023 45:40


    PODCAST FINALE! Watch a video of the discussion on YouTube, premiering 2 August 15:00 British time: https://youtu.be/ew7oKxdvm5I  More and more workers and youth all over the world are being drawn to the ideas and banner of communism, much to the anger and anxiety of the bosses, bankers and bourgeois politicians.  With capitalism at a total […]

    IMR finale next week: ‘The Spectre of Communism’ coming soon!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 28, 2023 3:16


    A quick special announcement to inform our listeners that next week’s episode of International Marxist Radio (released 2 August) Wednesday will be our last. As a send-off, the discussion, ‘Why We Are Communists’, has also been filmed. In addition to posting the audio here as usual, we will upload the video to In Defence of […]

    Class Struggle in the Roman Republic

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 26, 2023 56:07


    The Roman Republic was a society characterised by great social and political upheaval. This is a period of well-documented and important class struggle, which has many parallels with the situation today. If we are to avoid making the mistakes of history, a close study of the past is absolutely crucial for all Marxists. This week's […]

    How the Spanish Revolution was betrayed

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 19, 2023 54:50


    The Spanish Revolution and Civil War (which began this week in 1936) represent a profoundly heroic period of struggle by the Spanish working class and peasantry. The masses gave their all in the fight against Franco, only to be failed by their leadership. Both the anarchists and the Stalinists at the head of the fight […]

    Marx or Graeber? A reply to ‘The Dawn of Everything’

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2023 57:13


    David Graeber and David Wengrow's anthropological opus, The Dawn of Everything, claims to offer an entirely new, radical view of the development of human society (implicitly: one that knocks down Marx and Engels' historical materialism). This is no small task, but is the book as earth-shattering as the immodest title suggests? Despite making waves in […]

    France: police killing sparks mass fury

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2023 46:27


    Last week, a French policeman shot an unarmed French-Algerian teenager (Nahel M.) in the chest after a traffic stop. Before pulling the trigger, Nahel was told “I will lodge a bullet in your head”. A video of the brutal slaying was uploaded to social media, resulting in a massive outpouring of rage that swept the […]

    Prigozhin’s adventure: clash of the oligarchs

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 28, 2023 36:23


    Last weekend, Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the infamous Russian mercenary company Wagner, led an apparent mutiny. After withdrawing his troops from the front line of the Ukraine War, Prigozhin took control of the military bases at Rostov-on-Don and began what he called “march for justice” (albeit a heavily armed one), heading towards Moscow. Within a […]

    Marx and the revolutions of 1848

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2023 89:52


    175 years ago, a wave of revolutions swept across the European continent, in which the working class played a key role in challenging the might of the feudal order. From France to Germany to Italy, the masses led a struggle for democratic and economic demands, winning significant concessions from the decrepit ruling classes of Europe. […]

    Multipolarity vs. world revolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 14, 2023 60:32


    The relative decline of US imperialism is leaving a void that is starting to be filled by other powers. In recent years, this has led to a rise of rival imperialist nations such as China and Russia, which are increasingly trying to challenge the domination of the US. What are the implications of this for […]

    Towards a Third American Revolution?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2023 44:49


    The recent period in the USA has been highly eventful. From the Trump presidency, to the Sanders movement, to BLM and the George Floyd protests, to the storming of Capitol Hill, the ‘Land of the Free' is more polarised than it has been for decades. Poverty, racism and inequality are rampant; and seemingly not a […]

    Overpopulation or overproduction? Marx vs. Malthus

    Play Episode Listen Later May 31, 2023 51:46


    Is human population growth to blame for poverty and climate change? Plenty of pundits and politicians on the right and left alike seem to think so. Knowingly or not, they repeat the reactionary ideas of the Reverend Thomas Malthus, whose economic and social theories Marx and Engels demolished nearly 200 years ago. Yet today, the […]

    Class struggle in Africa: part two

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2023 46:38


    This week's episode of International Marxist Radio concludes our two-part series looking at the class struggle in Sub-Saharan Africa. This week, Ben Morken, a leading comrade of the International Marxist Tendency based in South Africa, discusses the broader context that has led to the current state of affairs across the continent. Historically ravaged by colonialism, […]

    Class struggle in Africa: part one

    Play Episode Listen Later May 17, 2023 56:21


    This week's episode of International Marxist Radio is the first of a special two-part series looking at the class struggle in Sub-Saharan Africa. Ben Morken, a leading comrade of the International Marxist Tendency based in South Africa, discusses the current political situation in a number of African countries, which constitute a bubbling cauldron of class […]

    Identity politics: capitalism’s weapon of division

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2023 55:04


    This week's episode of International Marxist Radio welcomes Daniel Morley, a leading comrade of Socialist Appeal, the British section of the International Marxist Tendency, to discuss so-called identity politics, and why Marxists oppose its influence on the class struggle. In many countries today, identity politics (i.e. the idea that one's racial, sexual, gender identity etc., […]

    How Marx became a Marxist

    Play Episode Listen Later May 3, 2023 62:20


    In this week's episode of International Marxist Radio, Josh Holroyd, a leading comrade of the International Marxist Tendency and editor of In Defence of Marxism magazine (issue 41 available now), discusses the early life, works and revolutionary career of Karl Marx, whose 205th birthday we mark on Friday! Born on 5 May 1818 in Trier, […]

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    Labor struggle in the USA: the sleeping giant stirs

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2023 49:10


    This week on International Marxist Radio, Tom Trottier, a leading comrade of Socialist Revolution, the US section of the International Marxist Tendency, speaks about exciting developments in the labour movement in the United States of America! After a long period of relative inactivity, the US working class is beginning to move. As the ongoing crisis […]

    The fall of woman: Engels, Morgan and the family

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 19, 2023 65:28


    On this week's episode of International Marxist Radio, Fred Weston, a leading comrade of the International Marxist Tendency, discusses the historical roots of women's oppression. While we are often told that the oppression of women is innate to human relations, this could not be further from the truth. In reality, in pre-class societies, hunter-gatherer men […]

    family woman engels international marxist tendency
    Pakistan on the brink!

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2023 66:48


    This week's episode welcomes Adam Pal, leading comrade of Lal Salaam, the Pakistani section of the International Marxist Tendency, to discuss the ongoing turmoil in Pakistan.  In the midst of a deep political crisis, the Pakistani ruling class is split, with different factions leaning on sections of the military high command to maintain their position. […]

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    Banking crisis: will there be a new recession?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2023 41:03


    This week's episode welcomes back Niklas Albin Svensson, a leading member of the International Marxist Tendency, to discuss the ongoing turmoil in the global banking system. A few weeks ago, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapsed, but the failure of SVB was not the end of the story. Rather, what we have seen is a sudden […]

    Germany: mega-strikes and major crisis

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 29, 2023 65:55


    This week's episode discusses the perspectives for class struggle in Germany, with Alex Kalabekow, a leading comrade of Der Funke, the German section of the International Marxist Tendency.  Note: this podcast was recorded before the 27 March ‘Mega-Strike' which brought hundreds of thousands of transport workers onto the streets in the largest strike in Germany […]

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    France: Macron vs the masses!

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2023 32:14


    This week's episode welcomes Jules Legendre, a leading comrade of Révolution, the French section of the International Marxist Tendency, to discuss the developing situation in France concerning Macron's hated pension reforms. Having bypassed the National Assembly and forced through a rise in the retirement age from 62 to 64, this week Macron narrowly survived a […]

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    Stalin: 70 years after a tyrant’s death

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2023 64:12


    This week's episode welcomes Niklas Albin Svensson, a leading comrade of the International Marxist Tendency, to discuss the legacy of Stalinism, 70 years after the death of Joseph Stalin in March 1953. While many associate Stalin and his crimes with socialism or communism, this could not be further from the truth. As Niklas explains, Stalinism […]

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    Women and the Russian Revolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2023 66:05


    This week's episode of International Marxist Radio welcomes Ylva Vinberg, leading comrade of Revolution, the Swedish section of the International Marxist Tendency, and Fred Weston, co-author of Wellred Books' latest publication, Women, Family and the Russian Revolution – available to pre-order now: https://wellred-books.com/women-family-and-the-russian-revolution/ To mark International Working Women's Day, this episode focuses on the Marxist […]

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    The Ukraine War at one year

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2023 73:56


    This week's episode of International Marxist Radio (IMR) welcomes back Jorge Martin – this time to speak about the continuing war in Ukraine, which recently passed the one-year anniversary mark. The war has caused untold misery, not just for people caught in the conflict, but also for millions of workers around the world, as energy […]

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