In Episode 20 of the CounterVortex podcast, Bill Weinberg discusses the
forgotten legacy of libertarian socialism -- considered by many today a
contradiction in terms. While the word "socialism" is suddenly viewed as
legitimate in American political discourse again for the first time in
generations, the word "libertarian" continues to be associated with the
free-market right -- despite its origins on the anarchist left. Weinberg
discusses his own involvement in New York's Libertarian Book Club -- founded
by anarchist exiles from Europe in the 1940s, to keep alive their ideals and
pass the torch to a new generation. Libertarian socialists seek inspiration in
such historical episodes as the Zapatistas in Mexico (1910-19), Makhnovists in
Ukraine (1917-21), Spanish anarchists in Catalonia (1936-7), and Zapatistas in
Mexico again (1994-date) -- peasants and workers who took back the land and
the factories, building socialism from below, without commissars or
politburos. Other movements inspired by this vision on the world stage today
include anarchist-influenced elements of Syria's civil resistance, and the
autonomous zone of northern Syria's Rojava Kurds. Weinberg argues that far
from being an irrelevant anachronism, a libertarian socialist vision is
necessary for human survival. Listen on SoundCloud, and support our podcast via Patreon.

Music: Leon Rosselson's World Turned Upside Down, performed by Bill Weinberg

Production by Chris Rywalt

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