The Socialist Program

Brian and Prof. Wolff continue a series of discussions  about the basics of Marxism — a method for understanding and changing  the world used by many of the great revolutionaries of modern history.  Today, they discuss the Marxist theory of the state. Mainstream  politicians talk about small government and big government, but never  tell the truth about who the government...

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss the G7 summit and its leaders' hypocritical rhetoric about human rights and democracy, the fight against police brutality and the suppression of the movement against racism, the latest attacks on Ilhan Omar, and more.

In this May 2021 patrons-only seminar, Brian and the crew discuss the new era in the struggle for the liberation of Palestine and what it means for the region, U.S. imperialist plots to dismember China, the alarming danger of nuclear war, and more. Check out the preview now and subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest!

Today's episode is the third in a multi-part series that takes an in-depth look at the history of China's foreign policy. We discuss how Chinese foreign policy shifted after the Cultural  Revolution. This culminated with China and the U.S. under the Nixon administration forging a new alliance that reshaped global politics. Brian is joined by Kenneth Hammond, a Professor of East Asian and Glob...

Brian and Prof. Wolff continue a series of discussions about the basics of Marxism — a method for understanding and changing  the world used by many of the great revolutionaries of modern history. Today, they discuss Karl Marx's theory of classes. Politicians of all stripes love to talk endlessly about their devotion to the middle class, but what does that even mean? What are the unique insig...

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem and Walter Smolarek discuss an exciting new victory for the Palestine solidarity movement, a crackdown on journalists that has gained momentum with successive administrations, how Democratic Senator Joe Manchin has vowed to help Republicans defeat a key piece of voting rights legislation introduced in Congress, and more. Please make...

Will Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be replaced by an even more fanatical racist? A last-minute coalition deal appears to have ended the 12-year-long reign of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just days after he presided over an 11-day massacre of Palestinians. But the man set to replace him is even more right wing. Meanwhile, the resistance of the Palestinian people is intensif...

Brian and Prof. Wolff continue a series of discussions about the basics of Marxism — a method for understanding and changing the world used by many of the great revolutionaries of modern history. Today, they discuss what Marxism has to say about the environment. Why and how is capitalism destroying the planet? Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author of...

Today we discuss the 100-year anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre, the one-year anniversary of key events in the uprising following the murder of George Floyd, and the historic breakthroughs made by the people's movements of Chile.

In this April 2021 patrons-only seminar, Brian and the crew analyzed the Biden administration's plans to withdraw from Afghanistan while  increasing aggression toward China, the Chauvin verdict won by the historic uprising against racism, and more. Check out the preview now and subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest!

In this February 2021 patrons-only seminar, Brian and the crew analyzed  the January 6th fascist insurrection and the state of U.S. policy toward  China. Check out the preview now and subscribe at patreon.com/thesocialistprogram to hear the rest!

Journalist Abby Martin, the Partnership for Civil Justice Fund (PCJF),  and CAIR won a major victory for free speech and the right to protest in  solidarity with Palestine in a May 24 federal court ruling. A judge  ruled that Georgia’s law against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions  movements was a violation of constitutionally guaranteed free speech  rights. PCJF Execu...

Brian and Prof. Wolff continue a series of discussions about the basics of Marxism — a method for understanding and changing the world used by many of the great revolutionaries of modern history. Today, they discuss the role of finance and the big banks. Why does Wall Street reign supreme in the capitalist system? Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author...

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole  Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss the one year anniversary of the  murder of George Floyd, the Palestinian people's continuing resistance  after 11 days of massacres by Israeli forces, and how the mass movements  that developed around the issues of racist police violence and the  oppression of Pal...

On today's episode, Brian and Dr. Gerald Horne talk about the dramatic changes brought about by the evolution of the role played by China in the world economy and world politics. As the United States' power declines, the managers of U.S. empire are scrambling to come up with new approaches to maintain their dominant position around the globe.   Dr. Gerald Horne holds the Moores Professorship...

Brian and Prof. Wolff continue a series of discussions about the basics of Marxism — a method for understanding and changing the world used by many of the great revolutionaries of modern history. Today, they discuss the theory of surplus value. Why do Marxists believe that anyone who works for a wage is being stolen from by their boss?   Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Dem...

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole  Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss Palestinians' general strike today  as fierce resistance continues to the increasingly brutal Israeli  attack, the possibility that the right-wing Supreme Court will  eviscerate the right of women to control their own bodies, the criminal  injustice system and ano...

The Israeli government is waging war against the  Palestinian people and attempting to carry out mass ethnic cleansing of  the city of Jerusalem as part of ongoing historic efforts to evict the  Palestinian people from their homelands. This has led to a historic  level of resistance in Jerusalem, Gaza, the West Bank and in Palestinian  communities within the current Israel...

Brian and Prof. Wolff begin a series of discussions about the basics of Marxism — a method for understanding and changing the world used by many of the great revolutionaries of modern history. Today, they discuss what a monopoly is, and how there is a natural tendency to monopoly under capitalism. Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author of many books, t...

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem, Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss the assault being waged by the Israeli military on Palestinians following intense fascist attacks and ethnic cleansing efforts directed against Palestinian residents of Jerusalem by ultra-right settlers. And in domestic news, the Biden administration’s economic program continues to draw at...

Today's episode is the second in a multi-part series that takes an in-depth look at the history of China's foreign policy. We discuss how U.S. imperialist pressure on China and the Soviet Union lead to a breakdown in relations between the two socialist giants, Soviet efforts at peaceful coexistence with the United States, the China-India war of 1962, the Soviet-U.S. 1963 nuclear test ban treaty, t...

Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss the deadly consequences of  the U.S. government's stubborn refusal so far to waive patents  preventing developing countries from producing their own Coronavirus  vaccines -- all to protect the profits of the big pharmaceutical  corporations. Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization  Democracy at Work and the author of many books, th...

On today's "In the News" roundtable, Brian Becker, Esther Iverem Nicole Roussell and Walter Smolarek discuss where the Biden administration is headed politically and why. In his address to a joint session of Congress last Thursday, Biden appears to have signaled a significant turn towards a program aimed at providing substantial benefits to working people.

Today's episode is the first in a multi-part series take an in-depth look at the history of China's foreign policy. As the U.S. war machine ramps up aggression towards China, understanding the history of the country's engagement with the world is more crucial than ever. In this section, we discuss the early phase of foreign policy pursued by the People's Republic of China, characterized by fervent...

Brian and Prof. Wolff discuss the latest efforts by the Biden administration to put severe economic pressure on Germany to back out of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, an infrastructure project that would deliver Russian gas to the European market competing with big U.S. oil and gas monopolies.   Richard Wolff is the co-founder of the organization Democracy at Work and the author of many books, th...