1Dime Radio

The Biggest Soviet History Myths Debunked (Ft. Noj Rants)

Get access to The Backroom (90+ exclusive episodes) and support 1Dime Radio: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeThis week on 1Dime Radio, I am joined by Noj Rants, one of the sharpest new voices in Soviet history on YouTube. We go straight at the myths that both mainstream commentators and newer Marxist sympathizers tend to repeat, especially about the Lenin era, the Soviets themselves, and how the Soviet state actually functioned. We talk about bad historiography, timeline compression, “Lenin died, then Stalin took over” simplifications, Civil War narratives, archives, and why so much of Soviet history discourse ends up polarized into propaganda versus counterpropaganda. In the Backroom segment on Patreon, NOJ Rants, and I keep going for four more hours, continuing the conversation. It is split into two parts, covering a wide range of Soviet history debates across multiple periods. In these two Patreon exclusive episodes, NOJ Rants, and I continue our conversation about contentious events in Soviet history, from the development of the Bolshevik one‑party state to the realities of Soviet “democracy.” We also discuss the Stalin period, the Red Purges, and NOJ Rants' hot takes on Marxism‑Leninism and the lessons of Soviet state-building.  I basically throw every question you can imagine at him and get his take on the biggest controversies, interpretations, and myths. We also get into the state of left-wing YouTube today, and how prominent leftist creators, especially Marxist-Leninists, tend to cover Soviet history.Timestamps:00:00:00  The Backroom Preview 00:04:51  The Best Soviet History YouTuber00:10:05  Where to start reading Soviet history, the best historians and books00:20:19  Stalin Wasn't a Dictator According to the CIA?  00:37:43 The Soviet archives 00:42:36  How the Russian Civil War Timeline Gets Re-Written00:44:44  Soviet elections, Mensheviks, SRs, & the Socialist Opposition00:47:43 The Truth About Imperialist Encirclement01:11:52  The Constituent Assembly and Bolshevik Consolidation01:29:05   Was Soviet Democracy a real thing? 01:33:19  Prelude to the 4-hour Backroom Segment (Parts 2 and 2)GUEST:NOJ Rants (YouTuber, Soviet history)• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nojrantsFOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1Dimee #soviethistory  #sovietunion #russianrevolution Leave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

The Meaning of Mamdani (Ft. Benjamin Studebaker)

Get access to The Backroom (85+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeBenjamin Studebaker returns to 1Dime Radio to break down the meaning of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist who was just sworn in as the new Mayor of New York City, and what his rise means for the Left, what to expect, and whether his policies are actually socialist whatsoever.  In the Backroom exclusive on Patreon, we get deeper into Studebaker’s theory of “Neo-Leftism” and how it differs from both the New Left and Old Left. It's quite a fascinating episode! Timestamps:00:00:00 Neo-Leftism (The Backroom Preview)00:04:21 Mamdani Sworn in as Mayor of NYC00:13:14 Offshoring, tariffs, labor power00:15:54 Socialism in One City00:56:22 Childcare Debate01:12:36 The Real Reason Mamdani  Won01:30:49 Backroom tease, closingGUEST:Benjamin Studebaker (Political Theorist, PhD University of Cambridge), author of The Chronic Crisis of American Democracy• X: https://x.com/BMStudebaker• Substack: https://bmstudebaker.substack.com/• Website: https://benjaminstudebaker.com/FOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

The Christian Case for Socialism (Christmas Special)

A Christian critique of Capitalism by Tony of 1DimeSince there won't be a new episode of 1Dime Radio this week, I decided to release a voice-over of an essay manuscript I had written on Christianity, capitalism, and a vision of socialism founded on Christian principles. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you! Become a Patron if you wish to support my work: https://www.patreon.com/c/OneDimeSubscribe to my Substack: https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime

Nobody Understands Wokeism (Ft. Musa Al-Gharbi)

Get access to The Backroom (Almost 90+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeIn this episode of 1Dime Radio, I am joined by American sociologist Musa Al-Gharbi to discuss his book "We Have Never Been Woke" which is by far the most scholarly work on the topic of “wokeness.” Al‑Gharbi provides a materialist theory of the economics and social dynamics that drive what we call "wokeism" and the great disconnect between what he calls “symbolic capitalists” (the section of the Professional Managerial Class within discourse/symbol generating industries like Media, Academia, Art, and Entertainment) and the rest of society. Al-Gharbi's book provides rigorous empirical research on social attitudes, class structures, and identifies four patterns that he calls "the great awokenings" which are driven by "elite overproduction" and liberals and leftists appear the same to so many people.In The Backroom (on Patreon), Musa and I continue the conversation by connecting Musa’s materialist socio-economic theory of Wokeness and Symbolic Capitalists to Tony’s Genealogy of Wokeism essay, plus additional examples, arguments, and pushback that we did not have time for on the main episode.Timestamps:00:00:00  Changing Minds vs Material Conditions (The Backroom Preview)00:05:34  An Empirical Theory of Wokeism 00:14:41  Who are The “Symbolic Capitalists”?00:23:55  Top 20% not just the 1%00:33:45  Elite overproduction and intra-elite competition00:38:31  The 2010s The Great Awokening 00:53:58  Is “woke” dead? Tech backlash, Trump era shifts00:59:14  The Four Great Awokenings, mapped01:00:04  First Awokening (1920s–30s): identity politics before the 60s01:03:51  Orwell’s warning01:07:02  Progressive paternalism and Managerial politics 01:15:41  Turning Standpoint Epistimology back on elites01:19:31  Policing, crime, and what Black voters actually want01:24:10  Do Woke People believe in Woke ideas? Does Sincerity Matter?01:28:19  What about the bottom 80%? 01:33:19  Diversity and Totemic Capital01:36:49  Backroom teaser: Tony’s Genealogy of Wokeism EssayGUEST:Musa Al-Gharbi (American sociologist), author of *We Have Never Been Woke*• Book announcement and links: https://musaalgharbi.substack.com/p/we-have-never-been-woke-available-now• Musa’s website: https://musaalgharbi.comMusa’s Substack: https://musaalgharbi.substack.comFOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Immigration: What The Left Misses (Ft. Benjamin Studebaker)

Get access to The Backroom (80+ EXCLUSIVE episodes): https://www.patreon.com/OneDime⁠Given there is some confusion regarding my positions on immigration, I decided to release the BACKROOM exclusive episode (originally supposed to be for Patrons only) that I did with Benjamin Studebaker (Cambridge, and author of the Chronic Crisis of American Democracy) all on the subject of immigration,—what both the left and right get wrong, and what leftists & liberals don't understand about the rise of the far-right in Europe. This episode is a heavy one! The conversation delves into the complexities of immigration and why the left needs a better response to mass migration and how the far-right captured many working class people across the world. We address topics such as the assimilation, social cohesion, demographic change, brain drain, declining bargaining power, and  the socio-economic impacts of immigration, globalization, and neoliberalism more broadly. The dialogue also touches on the challenges and necessities of having an open discourse on immigration without falling into binary thinking ideological trap.Timestamps: 00:00 How Leftists and and Liberals Often Respond to immigration04:25 Social Cohesion and Integration12:55 Brain Drain and Economic Imperialism 18:46 Assimilation Challenges30:58 Modern Immigration Policies45:21 European Union and Migration55:07 Racism, Xenophobia and tribalism56:05 Trust and Integration in Multi-Ethnic Societies58:27 Leftist and Liberal Perspectives on Immigration01:05:22 Cosmopolitanism vs. Localism01:24:09 The Role of the Professional Managerial Class (PMC)01:34:45 Technocratic Mindset and Immigration01:39:58 Its about more than  "Living Standards"01:41:45 Internationalism and Globalism Critique01:45:39 Managerialism in Progressivism01:52:14 Challenges of Assimilation and Immigration02:27:13 Climate Change and Refugee Crisis02:28:31 Concluding Thoughts on Political DiscourseGUEST:Benjamin Studebaker — political theorist; author of Legitimacy in Liberal Democracies and The Chronic Crisis of Liberal Democracy.• Website: https://benjaminstudebaker.com/about/• Follow Benjamin Studebaker on X: https://x.com/BMStudebakerFOLLOW 1Dime: • Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime • X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial • Instagram: / tonyof1dime• Check out my main channel videos: / @1dimeeCheck out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1Dimee.Outro Music by Karl Casey. Leave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.