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Leftist Labor History

Leftist Labor History

natehousley

This is a multi-part limited series looking at labor history in the United States from 1492 to present day. This series uses a Marxist lens to provide context for the relationship between labor and capital throughout time as well as the highlights of US labor organizing.

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Top 10 Leftist Labor History Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Leftist Labor History episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Leftist Labor History for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Leftist Labor History episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Leftist Labor History - Introduction

Introduction

Leftist Labor History

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02/24/21 • 9 min

In this introduction, I outline the goals for the series and take a look at what Marx thought about the potential role of labor unions in a socialist revolution.

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Leftist Labor History - Episode 3: The Gilded Age

Episode 3: The Gilded Age

Leftist Labor History

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02/24/21 • 35 min

The free labor ideology that took hold during Reconstruction led to rampant inequality, workplace abuse and violence, and financial instability. In this era (1869--1886), workers began to organize and fight back.

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Leftist Labor History - Episode 1: American Slavery

Episode 1: American Slavery

Leftist Labor History

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02/24/21 • 35 min

The roots of American capitalism lie in forced labor. Beginning with Native American slavery in Spanish America, forced labor changed shape as British North America came to rely on enslaved people and a violent racial caste system. By the 1800s, one of the cruelest, most gruesome institutions in human history enriched the white Western world.

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Leftist Labor History - Episode 2: Reconstruction

Episode 2: Reconstruction

Leftist Labor History

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02/25/21 • 32 min

With chattel slavery abolished, workers and capital grapple over the new form of labor. Centers on an analysis of the free labor ideology.

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Leftist Labor History - Bonus: Dialectical Materialism for Dummies
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02/25/21 • 9 min

Using the slave labor / free labor dichotomy, I clarify what leftists mean when we talk about dialectical materialism.

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Leftist Labor History - Episode 4: Labor Movement and Labor War
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03/12/21 • 51 min

Between the years of 1886 and 1929, organized labor takes on a variety of forms. Craft unionism springs up in the American Federation of Labor, and radicals form the Industrial Workers of the World. Capital responds with both persuasion and violence.

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Leftist Labor History - Episode 5: The New Deal

Episode 5: The New Deal

Leftist Labor History

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04/24/21 • 48 min

Labor movement since the 1880s led to the state recognizing the demands of workers. In this episode I discuss what workers gained and what they conceded to get a measure of protection from the government.

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Leftist Labor History - Bonus episode: Bias in labor historiography
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05/12/21 • 20 min

This bonus episode examines the biases of labor historians, especially those of the New Left from the 1960s and 1970s. Writing from a perspective that privileged militant action among wage laborers in factory jobs, these seminal historians reproduced a societal bias against traditionally feminine work.

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Leftist Labor History - Episode 6 pt. 2: Deindustrialization 1947--1981
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08/12/21 • 30 min

After World War II breaking the power of organized labor was a top priority for US companies. Deindustrialization was the process by which firms automated their operations and moved them to parts of the country with no union presence. At the end of the episode I examine some explanations for the decline of Big Labor.

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Leftist Labor History - Episode 7: Neoliberalism 1980--Present
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09/03/21 • 40 min

This final episode brings us up to the present, examining the neoliberal era. Silicon Valley is a microcosm of neoliberalism, and many boosters point to its successes (or, increasingly, to a lack of an alternative). By peeling back the history of the place, we find that it is founded in a Cold War, anti-labor ideology.

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FAQ

How many episodes does Leftist Labor History have?

Leftist Labor History currently has 12 episodes available.

What topics does Leftist Labor History cover?

The podcast is about History and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on Leftist Labor History?

The episode title 'Introduction' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Leftist Labor History?

The average episode length on Leftist Labor History is 33 minutes.

How often are episodes of Leftist Labor History released?

Episodes of Leftist Labor History are typically released every 14 days, 8 hours.

When was the first episode of Leftist Labor History?

The first episode of Leftist Labor History was released on Feb 24, 2021.

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