McCarthyism and its lessons for the left today
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The Trump administration's repressive moves have sparked talk of a "new McCarthyism" so this episode presents an interview with Alan Wald about McCarthyism -- the "Second Red Scare" in the US in the late 1940s and 1950s -- and its lessons for the left in our time.
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UPDATE - Helpful clarification from one of our listeners on information mentioned in this episode's intro: "Of the two recent faculty firings in Texas, only one of them (Tom Alter’s case) was at Texas State. The other was at Texas A&M. And, of course, there have been numerous other cases around the country."
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Readings and Resources
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Ashley Smith, Against the New McCarthyism
https://tempestmag.org/2025/09/against-the-new-mccarthyism/
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United States: Texas State Terminates Alter, National Campaign Fights Back
https://lis-isl.org/en/2025/10/united-states-texas-state-terminates-alter-national-campaign-fight-back/
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Alan Wald Homepage
https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/alan-wald-homepage/
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Bill Keach, Rehabilitating McCarthyism
https://tempestmag.org/2025/10/rehabilitating-mccarthyism/
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McCarthyism and its lessons for the left today
.
.
The Trump administration's repressive moves have sparked talk of a "new McCarthyism" so this episode presents an interview with Alan Wald about McCarthyism -- the "Second Red Scare" in the US in the late 1940s and 1950s -- and its lessons for the left in our time.
.
UPDATE - Helpful clarification from one of our listeners on information mentioned in this episode's intro: "Of the two recent faculty firings in Texas, only one of them (Tom Alter’s case) was at Texas State. The other was at Texas A&M. And, of course, there have been numerous other cases around the country."
.
.
Readings and Resources
.
.
Ashley Smith, Against the New McCarthyism
https://tempestmag.org/2025/09/against-the-new-mccarthyism/
.
.
United States: Texas State Terminates Alter, National Campaign Fights Back
https://lis-isl.org/en/2025/10/united-states-texas-state-terminates-alter-national-campaign-fight-back/
.
.
Alan Wald Homepage
https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/alan-wald-homepage/
.
.
Bill Keach, Rehabilitating McCarthyism
https://tempestmag.org/2025/10/rehabilitating-mccarthyism/
#40: Workers in the Global North: Bribed into Compliance?
Victor's Children
1 hour 2 minutes 24 seconds
1 year ago
#40: Workers in the Global North: Bribed into Compliance?
Workers in the Global North: Bribed into Compliance?
Why don't more workers in rich countries support radical politics? Some leftists say it's because imperialism bribes some or all workers in imperialist countries, making them a "labour aristocracy."
In this episode, Charlie Post argues against this explanation, discusses how imperialism does affect the working class in these countries, and suggests a different way of understanding what shapes working-class responses to capitalism.
Readings:
Charlie Post, "Exploring Working-Class Consciousness: A Critique of the Theory of the ‘Labour-Aristocracy’"
https://web.archive.org/web/20190225112753/http://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5ed0/777f248114127997056169e8c87364ec9b23.pdf
Victor's Children
McCarthyism and its lessons for the left today
.
.
The Trump administration's repressive moves have sparked talk of a "new McCarthyism" so this episode presents an interview with Alan Wald about McCarthyism -- the "Second Red Scare" in the US in the late 1940s and 1950s -- and its lessons for the left in our time.
.
UPDATE - Helpful clarification from one of our listeners on information mentioned in this episode's intro: "Of the two recent faculty firings in Texas, only one of them (Tom Alter’s case) was at Texas State. The other was at Texas A&M. And, of course, there have been numerous other cases around the country."
.
.
Readings and Resources
.
.
Ashley Smith, Against the New McCarthyism
https://tempestmag.org/2025/09/against-the-new-mccarthyism/
.
.
United States: Texas State Terminates Alter, National Campaign Fights Back
https://lis-isl.org/en/2025/10/united-states-texas-state-terminates-alter-national-campaign-fight-back/
.
.
Alan Wald Homepage
https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/alan-wald-homepage/
.
.
Bill Keach, Rehabilitating McCarthyism
https://tempestmag.org/2025/10/rehabilitating-mccarthyism/
