[TEASER] 250 Years of Bourgeois Democracy w/ August Nimtz

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In this episode August Nimtz joins us to discuss 250 years of bourgeois democracy. August Nimtz is professor of political science and African American and African studies and Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of many books including The Ballot, the Streets, or Both? From Marx and Engels to Lenin and the October Revolution, which we had him on to speak about back in 2023, and most recently, Black Marxism: A Marxist Critique.

Our conversation begins by revisiting our last conversation with August and providing a brief synopsis of The Ballot, the Streets, or Both?, setting the record straight on the intentions of the book in order to clear up some misunderstandings that many democratic socialists (particularly those of DSA) have around Marx, Engels, and Lenin's views on electoralism. In the process August discusses the recent victories of progressive candidates in Democratic primaries in the context of the two diseases of bourgeois politics: voting fetishism and parliamentary cretinism, which he says organizations and progressive politicians such as DSA and Bernie Sanders are afflicted with.

We then take a deep dive into the history of the American Revolution, looking at the differences between the Revolution of 1776 and the writing of the Constitution—which August describes as a form of counterrevolution. We explore the creation of the proletariat as the first class in history that has the ability to emancipate humanity and explore bourgeois democracy—particularly what the bourgeois revolution required in order for capitalism to flourish, including certain rights intended for the emerging bourgeoisie.

We then fast-forward to the present and explore how Donald Trump is an embodiment of American capitalism—a perfect example of the ideals put forth in the Constitution and the most authentic capitalist who has ever been in the White House. We discuss how Trump is capitalism's chicken coming home to roost. We end by talking about the "Great American State Fair" and survey the mood of the country, questioning whether the anger that people feel right now can be channeled into a constructive direction.

Further resources:

• The Capitalist Chicken That's 'Come Home to Roost': What Two Hundred Fifty Years Hath Bequeathed, August Nimtz
• Black Marxism: A Marxist Critique, August Nimtz
• Lenin's Perspective: What Exactly Does It Mean to Vote -- Part 1 Against the Current No. 231, July/August 2024
• Lenin's Perspective: What Exactly Does It Mean to Vote — Part 2 Against the Current No. 232, September/October 2024

Related episodes:

• A Marxist Perspective on Elections w/ August Nimtz
• The Democratic Party w/ Cecilia Guerrero
• The Long Transition Towards Socialism and the End of Capitalism w/ Torkil Lauesen
• China Pt. 2: Socialist Democracy and Democratic Centralism w/ Ken Hammond

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