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/
#57: The Air Canada Strike, How Labour Law Restricts Strikes & What Workers Can Do About It
Victor's Children
1 hour 42 minutes 58 seconds
2 months ago
#57: The Air Canada Strike, How Labour Law Restricts Strikes & What Workers Can Do About It
Defying the Law: The Air Canada Strike & How Labour Law Restricts Strikes and What Workers Can Do About It, w/ A King and D Camfield
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The historic law-defying strike by Air Canada flight attendants August 16-19 caught the attention of many people in the Canadian state and beyond. In the first part of this episode, David interviews Adam King about the strike and questions it raises. This is followed by a public talk (planned before the flight attendants' strike) David gave in Winnipeg on August 26, presented by the 1919 Workers' Collective, about the history of state restrictions on workers' freedom to strike, their impact, workers' defiance of these restrictions, and what conclusions people who want a powerful working-class movement should draw from this history. The talk was entitled "Against the Law? How Labour Law Restricts Strikes and What Workers Can Do About It."
David's talk begins at 59:23.
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Adam King's article on the AC strike: Air Canada Flight Attendants Have Made Labour History
https://www.readthemaple.com/air-canada-flight-attendants-have-made-labour-history
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Article by former flight attendant Ann Hui in the Globe And Mail mentioned in this episode (paywalled): https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-air-canada-flight-attendant-job-experience-labour-unpaid-work/
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Use Promo code "RF15" until Oct. 19, 2025 to receive a 15% discount when ordering David's book, Red Flags, here: https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/red-flags
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/
