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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Image: Dissent! Sans Frontières
