Libsyn Directory

[BEST OF] State and Revolution: Marx, Lenin, & the Dictatorship of the Proletariat

Release Date: 05/12/2025

[BEST OF] State and Revolution: Marx, Lenin, & the Dictatorship of the Proletariat

Rev Left Radio

ORIGINALLY RELEASED Oct 11, 2018 In this episode, Alyson joins Breht to do a dive deep into Vladimir Lenin’s State and Revolution, one of the most important texts in Marxist political theory. We break down Lenin’s core arguments about the state as an instrument of class rule, the necessity of smashing the bourgeois state rather than reforming it, and the vision of a transitional workers' state on the path to communism. We also discuss the historical context of 1917, how Lenin draws from Marx and Engels, and why this work remains essential for understanding the nature of power,...

[BEST OF] Red Rosa: The Life and Legacy of Rosa Luxemburg

Rev Left Radio

ORIGINALLY RELEASED Oct 12, 2019 In this episode, I sit down with author and illustrator Kate Evans to discuss her powerful graphic biography Red Rosa, which vividly brings to life the story of revolutionary Marxist thinker Rosa Luxemburg. We explore Luxemburg’s radical politics, her commitment to internationalism and anti-militarism, and the challenges she faced as a Jewish woman in the male-dominated socialist movements of her time. Kate shares her creative process behind the book, how she translated dense political theory into an accessible visual narrative, and why Luxemburg’s legacy...

[BEST OF] In Defense of Che Guevara: Analyzing his Life and Answering his Critics

Rev Left Radio

ORIGINALLY RELEASED Nov 13, 2017 Dr. Thoreau Redcrow is an American academic with a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis with a concentration in Global Conflict. Thoreau is a researcher who specializes in studying armed guerrilla movements, and who has over a decade of experience studying the life and legacy of Che Guevara. His prior investigations into Che's biography have taken him to Cuba to speak to those who knew and fought alongside Che, as well as to other arenas around the world which have been influenced by Che Guevara's armed struggle. Brett sits down with Dr. Redcrow to discuss the Argentine...

[BEST OF] The Life and Legacy of Alexandra Kollontai

Rev Left Radio

ORIGINALLY RELEASED Jun 18, 2021 returns to the show, this time to discuss the life, work, and legacy of the famous Marxist Feminist Alexandra Kollontai. We discuss her life, her radicalization, her relationship with other famous revolutionaries, her role in the October Revolution, her enduring contributions to feminism, Marxism, and proletarian history, and much, much more. Check out Kristen's work here: Check out AK-47, Kristen's podcast dedicated to Kollontai here: Here are all the previous episodes of RLR that Kristen has been a guest on: Red Hangover: International Women's Day: ...

[BEST OF] Organize, Fight, Win: Black Communist Women's Political Writing

Rev Left Radio

ORIGINALLY RELEASED Mar 10, 2023 In this episode of Guerrilla History, we bring on two fantastic guests, Prof. Charisse Burden-Stelly and Prof. Jodi Dean. We discuss their co-edited collection, , which is an absolutely indispensable resource for those of us serious about achieving liberation! This collection includes writings focused on the period from 1919-1956, which argue that racial and economic equality can only be achieved by overthrowing capitalism. Pick up the book! Dr. CBS is an Associate Professor of African American Studies at Wayne State University. She is an...

[BEST OF] Religion and Marxism: Thinking Through the Human Condition

Rev Left Radio

ORIGINALLY RELEASED Apr 13, 2023 In this unlocked episode, Breht, Adnan, and Henry from discuss their thoughts on the relationship between religion and Marxism, how Marxists today might think differently about religion compared to Marxists 100 years ago, religion and spirituality as a terrain of struggle for the Left, how to think about science vs. religion, the material basis of religion, what form the religious impulse might take under communism, demystification and meditation, and much more. ---------------------------------------------------- Support Rev Left and get access to...

[BEST OF] Antonio Gramsci: Hegemony, Organic Intellectuals, & Italian Fascism

Rev Left Radio

ORIGINALLY RELEASED Feb 12, 2020 In this episode, Jon Greenaway and Brenden Leahy return to the show and join Breht to explore the life, thought, and revolutionary legacy of Antonio Gramsci—the Italian Marxist theorist who redefined how we understand power, ideology, and resistance. We break down Gramsci’s key concepts, including cultural hegemony, the role of organic intellectuals, and the importance of building counter-hegemonic institutions. We also examine his fierce opposition to Italian fascism, his imprisonment by Mussolini, and how his prison notebooks continue to offer critical...

[BEST OF] Aristocratic Radicalism: Nietzsche and the Politics of Reaction

Rev Left Radio

ORIGINALLY RELEASED Apr 3, 2023 returns to Rev Left to discuss his latest book, Nietzsche and the Politics of Reaction: Essays on Liberalism, Socialism, and Aristocratic Radicalism—a provocative collection he edited featuring diverse perspectives on one of the most misunderstood thinkers in modern philosophy. We unpack Friedrich Nietzsche’s actual political views, challenge the liberal and fascist misreadings, and explore what the socialist left can critically learn from him. From his attacks on Christianity and herd morality to his complex relationship with nihilism, the death of...

[BEST OF] The Young Lords: Revolution in the Barrio

Rev Left Radio

ORIGINALLY RELEASED Sep 10, 2020 In this episode, Breht sits down with historian Johanna Fernández, author of The Young Lords: A Radical History, to explore one of the most militant and visionary revolutionary groups of the 20th century. We trace the origins of the Young Lords from street gang to revolutionary cadre, their Marxist-Leninist politics, their grassroots organizing in poor Puerto Rican and Black neighborhoods, and their fierce fight against racism, colonialism, police violence, and capitalism itself. Dr. Fernández brings deep archival research and firsthand insight into how this...

[BEST OF] Decolonizing Palestine: Toward National Liberation in the Levant

Rev Left Radio

ORIGINALLY RELEASED Nov 2, 2023 Alyson and Breht discuss the ongoing national liberation struggle in Palestine. Together, they discuss the incredible shift in public opinion on Israel and Palestine, the internal and external contradictions culminating in unison for Israel, the discussion about whether or not what Israel is doing is technically a genocide (it absolutely is), international law, Frantz Fanon on the psychology of national liberation, the prospects of a broader regional war, the possibilities of Turkish or Iranian engagement, the history and core elements of Zionism, the analytical...

More Episodes

ORIGINALLY RELEASED Oct 11, 2018

In this episode, Alyson joins Breht to do a dive deep into Vladimir Lenin’s State and Revolution, one of the most important texts in Marxist political theory. We break down Lenin’s core arguments about the state as an instrument of class rule, the necessity of smashing the bourgeois state rather than reforming it, and the vision of a transitional workers' state on the path to communism. We also discuss the historical context of 1917, how Lenin draws from Marx and Engels, and why this work remains essential for understanding the nature of power, revolution, and socialist strategy today. This episode offers an accessible yet rigorous guide to one of Lenin’s most influential works.

----------------------------------------------------

Support Rev Left and get access to bonus episodes: www.patreon.com/revleftradio

Make a one-time donation to Rev Left at BuyMeACoffee.com/revleftradio

Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio https://revleftradio.com/

TOPICS