Best Stephan, Jason, Matthew, and Nathan Podcasts (2024)

1
'Technofeudalism': The World According to Yanis Varoufakis 50:13

3h ago50:13

50:13

We discuss Yanis Varoufakis' new book 'Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism,’ in which he argues that capitalism is dead and has been "replaced by something fundamentally different."By Stephan, Matthew, and Nathan

1
2.03: The Hungarian Soviet Republic 1:00:37

24d ago1:00:37

1:00:37

Not unlike the Paris Commune, the Hungarian Soviet Republic, which held power in that country for 133 heroic days in 1919, exerted influence through example in greater measure than its brief lease on life would suggest. Not only did it raise the profile and recast the soul of Georg Lukács, but in its own time, it was recognized as a failed example …

1
Beach Read #1: Bukharin's 'Historical Materialism' 43:01

2M ago43:01

43:01

We kick off our new 'beach reads' series with a discussion of Bukharin's 1921 text, Historical Materialism: A System of Sociology.By Stephan, Matthew, and Nathan

1
'The World According to...' Episode 1 54:30

2M ago54:30

54:30

We are changing things up here at Measures Taken HQ! In this new series (which will supplement but not replace our former episode track) we discuss what's being talked about on the contemporary left.By Stephan, Matthew, and Nathan

1
2.02: 'Left-Wing' Communism 1:01:03

4M ago1:01:03

1:01:03

We discuss Lenin's "'Left-Wing' Communism: An Infantile Disorder" as well as the responses and political positions of some of the pamphlet's main targets. We also examine the concept of left-wing communism itself, asking whether or not it is a category that can clarify our political lives today.By Stephan, Jason, Matthew, and Nathan

1
2.01: Red Terror 1:04:23

10M ago1:04:23

1:04:23

What components of Marxism can most successfully help us to understand the appearance and shape of the phenomenon of ‘Red Terror?’By Stephan, Jason, Matthew, and Nathan

1
1.12: The Invention of Communism 1:09:37

1+ y ago1:09:37

1:09:37

The seizure of state power by Russian social democrats, and the success of their party in developing military and administrative capacities, forced the class-conscious worker the rest of the world over to decide to what extent it was appropriate to accept organizational leadership from the first and only proletarian dictatorship (if one does not co…

1
1.11: The World War 56:19

1+ y ago56:19

56:19

The climax of the World War would present socialists with the actuality of revolution and result in a new North Star for Marxism, but its immediate effects were to irrevocably destroy the fabric of the international socialist movement, and in doing so inaugurate a period of painful soul-searching. In this episode, we will trace the responses of soc…

1
Interview: Ben Lewis 53:25

2y ago53:25

53:25

Ben is editor and translator of a number of important collections of primarily source documents from the Second International period, including Karl Kautsky on Democracy and Republicanism (Haymarket). He is also the author of Oswald Spengler and the Politics of Decline (Berghahn Books). You can support his translation work on Patreon by searching f…

1
1.10: The Agrarian Question 1:00:32

2y ago1:00:32

1:00:32

The question of Social Democracy’s role when it came to peasants and agricultural laborers opened the floodgates to a wide range of theoretical and tactical debates. In this episode, we will dive into this era’s landmark texts and strategic, Party-level debates and decisions on the agrarian question— a question that will arise and be contested many…

1
1.09: The Question of the Party 1:25:59

2+ y ago1:25:59

1:25:59

It has hardly been lost on convinced readers of Capital that the book contains no blueprint for building an organization, one that might sound the “death knell” of the capitalist mode of production, expropriate the expropriators, and usher in the free association of labor. In this episode, we will open up the organizational question to see what we …

1
1.08: Dictatorship of the Proletariat 1:00:35

2+ y ago1:00:35

1:00:35

Questions of the bourgeois state, democracy, and the proletariat’s conquest of state power were the subject of a number of debates and attempts at theoretical formulation in the Second International. In the aftermath of the 1917 Russian Revolution and the dissolving of the Constituent Assembly, the stakes of the debate became even more pronounced, …

1
1.07: The Woman Question 1:01:21

2+ y ago1:01:21

1:01:21

The most popular book produced by a Second International figure was August Bebel’s “Women Under Socialism.” It introduced scientific socialism to a question prominent on the political scene, namely, that of women’s oppression and emancipation. For decades, Marxists would argue, both amongst themselves and with their opponents, on the relationship o…

1
1.06: The National Question 1:12:18

2+ y ago1:12:18

1:12:18

Despite the simplicity and strong appeal of the slogan “Proletarians of all countries unite,” the early Social Democratic movement would find themselves divided on how to carry out this task. Alongside controversy over Revisionism and the early debates on Imperialism, the National Question would be hotly contested across the Second International.…

1
1.05: Early Debates on Imperialism 1:04:54

3y ago1:04:54

1:04:54

From the moment Social Democracy was compelled by virtue of the maturity of its institutions to formulate policy and strategy, Marxists have feared for the timeliness of their theoretical commitments. Efforts to brings Marxism up to date most often manifested themselves as theories of "imperialism." In this episode, we do our best to unpack this ca…

1
1.04: The Revisionist Controversy 59:45

3y ago59:45

59:45

The battle over Marxist orthodoxy was not long in arriving. Almost as soon as it emerged, it was subjected to a sustained theoretical assault from within, most notably and thoroughly by Eduard Bernstein, the foremost protagonist (or antagonist) in what was called ‘the revisionist controversy.’ This episode examines the political motivations and the…

1
1.03: The Invention of Marxism 1:11:36

3y ago1:11:36

1:11:36

The emergence of ‘Marxism’ as a ‘worldview’ and political tendency was not achieved during Marx’s lifetime, but remains the achievement of his epigones. This episode establishes what was meant by ‘Marxism’ when it forged its first orthodoxy by examining the popularizing works of Engels, Kautsky and Plekhanov.…

1
1.02: The Many Lives of Marx's Capital 51:04

3y ago51:04

51:04

Despite its obvious centrality to the entire corpus of historical Marxism, Capital remains contested territory on the left. We examine its publication history and how we can understand what’s at stake in competing readings and approaches to the text.By The Measures Taken

1
1.01: The New Moment in Marxism 56:38

3y ago56:38

56:38

Our first episode attempts to justify the act of bringing another Marxist podcast into the world. This is an introduction to the project and ourselves, and we explain our shared orientation towards the contemporary left.By The Measures Taken

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Stephan, Jason, Matthew, And Nathan Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
The Measures Taken

Stephan, Matthew, and Nathan

1
'Technofeudalism': The World According to Yanis Varoufakis 50:13

1
2.03: The Hungarian Soviet Republic 1:00:37

1
Beach Read #1: Bukharin's 'Historical Materialism' 43:01

1
'The World According to...' Episode 1 54:30

1
2.02: 'Left-Wing' Communism 1:01:03

1
2.01: Red Terror 1:04:23

1
1.12: The Invention of Communism 1:09:37

1
1.11: The World War 56:19

1
Interview: Ben Lewis 53:25

1
1.10: The Agrarian Question 1:00:32

1
1.09: The Question of the Party 1:25:59

1
1.08: Dictatorship of the Proletariat 1:00:35

1
1.07: The Woman Question 1:01:21

1
1.06: The National Question 1:12:18

1
1.05: Early Debates on Imperialism 1:04:54

1
1.04: The Revisionist Controversy 59:45

1
1.03: The Invention of Marxism 1:11:36

1
1.02: The Many Lives of Marx's Capital 51:04

1
1.01: The New Moment in Marxism 56:38

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