In this episode of On Mass we take a look into Iranian history as it pertains to imperialist (American and British) aggression and the class forces within the country in relation to said imperialism. The episode begins with a brief explanation of capitalist-imperialism, and then looks at the British Petroleum Company’s exploitation of Iranian oil, the coup that deposed of Mohammed Mosaddegh, and a look at how communists attempted and/or failed to respond to the conditions within Iran.
Some Sources: Iran: The Rise and Fall of the Tudeh Party by Farhang Jahanpour Harvest of Shame: Tudeh and the Bazargan Government by Mohsen M. Milani The Tudeh Military Network during the Oil Nationalization Period by Osamu Miyata Tudeh Factionalism and the 1953 Coup in Iran by Maziar Behrooz Neither East Nor West by Nikki R. Keddie USSR-Iran Relations (1979-86) by Mansoor Akbar
In this episode of On Mass, comrade Peter Clark and I discuss social democracy (or democratic “socialism”) as a political tendency in relation to the reality of capitalism and imperialism.
We also discuss the ideas of Professor Richard D. Wolff who is the host of the leftist show Economic Update and how his ideas factor into the general topics of social democracy, opportunism and reformism.
In this episode of On Mass, I briefly explain why I haven’t released any episodes in the past little bit, as well as provide my take on Venezuela and America’s recent attempt to oust the Maduro government in the classic capitalist-imperialist way. I also explain why I think the Leftist government of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) has been struggling with its internal class contradictions since they assumed power in 1999. The first half of the episode gives a brief overview of some of the internal class contradictions at play, and the latter looks at the false and hypocritical imperialist rhetoric that is being spouted in order to overthrow the Leftist government of Venezuela. This episode is a brief explanation of some of the dynamics at play in the conflict and is by no means a completely comprehensive analysis of the situation.
In this episode of On Mass I expand my argument in regards to whether China is a socialist country or a capitalist-imperialist country in the present day. I begin by conceptualizing how we should think about socialism, and then move towards giving a brief account of how China developed after it’s revolution in 1949 with an emphasis on the Cultural Revolution’s attempt to correct problems that developed in most socialist countries as they pertained to the transition to socialism on the level of economics, culture, ideology, and politics. For this argument I focused on the question of whether China is capitalist and briefly discussed its imperialistic elements, but didn’t go into detail in regards to imperialism as a concept. A concept we’ll revisit in the near future.
Sources:
Charles Bettelheim – Cultural Revolution and Industrial Organization in China: Changes in Management and the Division of Labor www.marx2mao.com/Other/CRIOC74.html
Xi Jinping – Governance of China (p. 114 of PDF version)
Lenin – State and Revolution
(For understanding socialism as a transitional phase and the role of the state in capitalism and socialism. I also forgot to mention that Lenin considered the Dictatorship of the Proletariat to be a “semi-state” that should be fundamentally different from a typical capitalist state. I would argue that China embodied this during the Cultural Revolution.) https://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1917/staterev/
In this episode of On Mass I discuss the dynamics and implications of the movie “Black Panther” and the contours of Black liberation. I also talk about some of the historical debates around this topic and discuss the opinions of Marcus Garvey, A. Phillip Randolph, Cyril Briggs, and Harry Haywood and relate them to an ongoing debate I’ve been having with members of the African People’s Socialist Party and Black liberals.
References:
Joshua Bloom – Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party
Harry Haywood – Black Bolshevik: Autobiography of an Afro-American Communist
Mark Solomon – The Cry Was Unity: Communists and African Americans
Ryan Miniot – The Black Left’s War On Marcus Garvey and Garveyism
Louis J. Parascandola – Cyril Briggs and the African Blood Brotherhood
Cyril Briggs – The Negro Convention
An interview with author and professor of philosophy J. Moufawad-Paul on his book Continuity and Rupture, which touches on the topic of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
