Are you a communist? Think we need a revolution? Tune into the official podcast of the Revolutionary Communist International, for communist theory, analysis and history, every week! Under the crisis-ridden capitalist system, humanity lurches from one disaster to another. War, poverty and precarity are facts of life for millions. Given the circumstances, it is no surprise that an unprecedented number of workers and young people are being drawn to the revolutionary banner of communism. But what does it mean to be a communist? What is the communist perspective on the most pressing questions facing humanity: like armed conflict, the climate...
Latest episodes
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1 h 52
Imperialism in the 21st century – what Lenin would say today
Spectre of Communism – the theoretical podcast of the RCI – kicks off a new season by exploring one of the most fundamental and important topics of today: imperialism 💵First explai…
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2 h 13
The Communist Manifesto Explained
“A spectre is haunting Europe — the spectre of communism!” These immortal words from the Communist Manifesto (and the title of this podcast!) herald the most important piece of pol…
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1 h 22
The Philosophy of Despair: Postmodernism Explained
The term ‘postmodernism’ is thrown around a lot by right-wing shock-jocks like Jordan Peterson, often in tandem with Marxism: although these two sets of ideas are totally opposed.…
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1 h 20
Communist Answers Most Searched Questions
How did Stalin outmanoeuvre Trotsky and take power following Lenin’s death? What do Marxists mean by ‘value’? And what does it really mean to ‘master the dialectic’? We went back t…
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1 h 21
The Marxist Who Predicted the Post-War Order: Ted Grant’s Legacy
Ted Grant is not widely known outside of revolutionary circles, but he was the most important Marxist theorist since the death of Leon Trotsky, who alone predicted the course of wo…
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1 h 41
How the Greek Revolution was Betrayed: A Complete Timeline
A decade ago, Greece became the epicentre of a political earthquake. Brutal EU and IMF-imposed austerity measures provoked a revolutionary struggle by workers and youth, who vested…
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1 h 38
Marxist Answers Communism Questions From Social Media | Communists in the Middle East, Degrowth and the Crisis…
Has communism ever been a serious force in the Middle East? Are Marxists in favour of shrinking the economy to save the environment? Has there been a shift to the right in society?…
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2 h 00
The Spanish Revolution and Civil War: A Complete Timeline
Trotsky wrote in ‘The Tragedy of Spain’ (1939) that, despite the Spanish proletariat’s revolutionary heroism, they were “brought to ruin by petty, despicable, and utterly corrupted…
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1 h 40
The 1917 Russian Revolution: A Complete Timeline
The Russian Revolution of 1917 was the greatest event in human history. For the first time, ordinary working people were able to win power and hold onto it. Our new season of the S…
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1 h 17
The case for theory: why communists should study philosophy
“Do I really need to read long theoretical books to be a communist?” This is a common question among class fighters today. In our final episode of the season, we make the case that…
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1 h 33
The history of fascism: lessons for today
What is fascism and is it a threat today? In this episode of the Spectre of Communism podcast, we discuss the history of fascism’s rise to power in the 1930s, to learn the lessons…
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1 h 17
The TRUTH about World War 2: Marxist historian sets the record straight
The Second World War is one of the most-mythologised events in history. In the West, we are led to believe that Winston Churchill and Roosevelt single-handedly led the Allies in a…
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1 h 31
Who was Karl Marx REALLY? – A reply to CrashCourse
Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist and journalist, and above all a revolutionary. He continues to haunt the nightmares of the rich and powerful, just as he inspires work…
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1 h 33
The TRUTH about Mao and the Chinese Revolution
The Chinese Revolution is condemned as a bloody tragedy by bourgeois historians. But if it was all simply a disaster, then how do we explain China going from a backward colonial ho…
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1 h 30
Communist replies to MORE right-wing LIES
Is communism against ‘human nature’? Would workers in charge inevitably be ‘corrupted by power’? Do communists ‘oppose free speech’? Watch a leading communist answer some more typi…
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1 h 27
Stalinism on TRIAL
Who was Joseph Stalin and what is the legacy of his leadership? In this episode of the Spectre of Communism, we weigh the evidence, based on historical fact and the principles of M…
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1 h 20
Communist replies to right-wing LIES: Musk, Peterson & Shapiro
Did communism kill 100 million people? Was Hitler really a communist? Is there no difference between Lenin and Stalin? Right-wing pundits and politicians always throw blood-curdlin…
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1 h 36
2024 Wrapped: a year of war and revolution
2024 has been a year of war, revolution and crisis on every continent. From the horrors of the Gaza genocide, to the revolutionary summer in Kenya and Bangladesh; from viral assass…
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59 min
Lenin’s crusade against imperialist war – lessons for today
We are living through an epoch of war and revolution. In Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and countless other countries, wars and civil wars are raging, all with the backing and comp…
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1 h 03
What is the Permanent Revolution?
Trotsky’s theory of the permanent revolution is one of the most important, but also amongst the most misunderstood ideas in the entire Marxist tradition. Does it really mean that r…