Confronting Capitalism with Vivek Chibber

On July 14, 1789, the storming of the Bastille in Paris marked the transition of the French Revolution from an elite negotiation into a truly mass event. But what kicked off this insurgency and what does it have to do with left politics? On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek discuss the radical origins of Bastille Day, examine the class politics of the...

Donald Trump has made the issue of immigration a key battleground in US politics. But with public opinion swinging against the brutal ICE raids and deportations over the past year, how should the Left respond? On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek are joined by Catalyst board member Suzy Lee. Suzy has written extensively on the political economy and po...

In the midst of Graham Platner’s high-profile senate race in Maine, several media commentators jumped on whether he would fit within his own definition of the working class. Do we know how to pick out workers from other classes? And what bearing does this have for socialist politics? On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek offer a full definition of who’...

Socialists have long predicted capitalism’s overthrow and replacement by a better system. But do we have any reason to believe capitalism must come to an end? On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism , Melissa Naschek and Vivek Chibber discuss the role of economic and ecological crises in capitalism’s possible demise. Just as it is a mistake to think that capitalism will last forever, it’s...

Over time, the Soviet Union developed a system of centralized planning that became synonymous with socialism. How did the system work? What did it get right? And why did it ultimately become so associated with shortages and stagnation? On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek discuss the ambitions and challenges of economic planners, and why the defects m...

Throughout the 20th century, socialism came to be associated with both central planning and shortages. But could democratic ownership of the economy work alongside market competition? On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber examines different models of socialism that might be viable in the 21st century. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20...

How effective has the Left’s political strategy been since the first Bernie Sanders campaign? And how has our relationship to the Democratic Party changed? On this special episode of Confronting Capitalism , recorded live at Littlefield in Brooklyn on April 6, Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek are joined by Krystal Ball and Matt Karp to discuss how class politics can convert popular anger into dur...

Our modern economy is now dominated by massive mega-companies like Amazon and Walmart, with operations spanning many different sectors and employment types. With the US labor movement at historically low levels of unionization, bold strategies are necessary to protect the working class. On this episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek speak with ASU professor Benjamin...

The US-Israeli war against Iran may have been initiated without any coherently stated goals or popular support, but we can already see that it’s a horrific quagmire. It also doesn’t look like Trump and Israel will get the swift Iranian regime change they hoped for. On the latest episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber is joined by Jason Brownlee, a professor of government at the Universi...

Why does every new technology seem to make work harder and not easier? In 1974, Harry Braverman published a seminal text Labor and Monopoly Capital to answer that question. Combining a careful study of scientific management and technological innovation with several of Marx’s key concepts, Braverman explained why workers under capitalism are gradually transformed into mere cogs in the machine. On t...

The developments in artificial intelligence appear to promise a radical transformation of modern work. But what happens if AI turns out to be much more like previous waves of technological change? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek discuss the history of automation, the effects of technology on employment and wages, and why socialists should want to harne...

The Trump administration has ramped up its bellicose rhetoric against the Iranian regime after it clamped down on the latest wave of protests. Is the regime teetering on the edge of collapse? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber and Melissa Naschek contrast the Iranian Revolution of 1979 with the current protests, and discuss what makes a revolution possible. Join Confronting...

While European labor movements established foundations for their welfare states in the late 19th century, it was not until the New Deal that the US began instituting policies like unemployment insurance and old-age pensions. But although working-class struggle was also key to this success, several unique factors in American history proved an impediment to more egalitarian policies. In this episode...

The kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro on January 3rd was a shocking escalation in the United States’s ongoing strangulation of Venezuela. This has immediately provoked questions about the domestic Venezuelan power struggle and the demise of the Bolivarian Revolution. In this episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber is joined by Gabriel Hetland, author of the Catalyst essay titled “From Chávez...

Over the past year, Democrats have learned to embrace economic abundance thanks to Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s bestselling book. But is this the same kind of abundance the Left has traditionally argued for? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber is joined by Matt Huber, co-author alongside Fred Stafford and Leigh Phillips of a new Catalyst essay titled “The Left Has Always F...

After World War II, political parties championing redistribution, full employment, and egalitarianism gained power across the globe, especially in Western Europe. But why did these social democrats give up the ambition to transition to socialism? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber explains why the golden age of capitalism was a rare period of triumph for the Left, even thoug...

Social-democratic politics have been part of the socialist movement for over a century. Some features, like the commitment to pursuing economic rights for the working class via the state, have remained consistent over time. But when did social-democratic ambitions to overthrow capitalism turn into efforts to reform the system? In this episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber takes a broad...

While Democrats recently scored some much-needed electoral wins, the party remains in crisis. Recent reports like Welcome PAC’s “Deciding to Win” argue that the Democrats must drop unpopular cultural positions and recenter economic demands. Can a populist economic agenda shorn of unpopular identity politics get the party back on track? On this episode of Confronting Capitlism , Vivek Chibber evalu...

Neoliberalism’s victory over Keynesianism wasn’t an intellectual revolution — it was a class offensive. Vivek Chibber unpacks how employers and political elites turned economic turmoil into an opportunity to reshape society on their terms. The latest issue of Catalyst is out and you can subscribe for just $20 using the code CONFRONTINGCAPITALISM: https://catalyst-journal.com/subscribe/?code=CONFRO...

Grab your coffee and your backpack — it's time for Professor Chibber's Office Hours! On this episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek answers YOUR questions. We received so many interesting and thoughtful emails from listeners, we decided to dedicate a whole podcast to them. Vivek talks about how socialists should confront discrimination in their organizing, the relevance of the concept of monopo...

In this tumultuous political era, it’s common to hear that the Left needs to rebuild its historic sources of power. But it’s more accurate to say that the Left is essentially in the process of starting over again. On this episode of Confronting Capitalism , we share Vivek Chibber’s keynote address at the Jacobin conference, “Socialism in Our Time,” which marked the 15th anniversary of the magazine...

It’s well understood that capitalist economies are a recent development in human history. But there is persistent disagreement on the Left over exactly how and where the transition to capitalism occurred, as well as what role colonial plunder played in enriching the West. On this episode of Confronting Capitalism, Vivek Chibber explains the origins of capitalism, what primitive accumulation means,...

Populism is in the air, providing unique opportunities and challenges to the Left. On this episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber discusses how populist sentiment — popular anger at elites and a demand for economic redress — helped socialists reinsert economics back into politics. Recent electoral victories, such as Zohran Mamdani’s win in the New York City Democratic primary, have show...

Utilizing class analysis is the bread and butter of socialist politics. But understanding how classes are shaped and reproduced has changed over time. On this episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber breaks down how the Marxist tradition has theorized class, the difference between a class in itself and a class for itself, and how class analysis is used within political organizing. The lat...

The “professional managerial class” has become a staple of political debate on the Left. In this episode of Confronting Capitalism , Vivek Chibber explains why the “PMC” is better understood as a heterogeneous layer within capitalism rather than a distinct class, how and why the middle strata have expanded, and what has pushed so many professionals toward anti-capitalist politics. While skeptical...