3 chapters across the catalog
A conspiracy theory suggests Friedrich Engels' father had ties to the Rothschild Bank and that the Communist Manifesto was a tool for central control. The hosts review the "Ten Planks" of the manifesto, arguing that many, such as progressive income tax and centralized credit, are already implemented in the United States.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels analyzed the American Civil War through the lens of lopsided voting power held by Southern slave owners. Marx argued that the "three-fifths compromise" gave slaveholders an unfair advantage, allowing them to outvote non-slave-owning citizens and push the country toward war. This historical perspective suggests that the conflict was driven by a small elite utilizing the political weight of their disenfranchised slave populations.
Marxism and Engels, American Civil War History, Elite War-Making
The hosts suggest that listeners read the original works of Marx and Engels, noting that Engels was the true radical behind "Marxism." They specifically recommend their book on the American Civil War, which argues that the war was orchestrated by a small minority of slave owners against the will of the general Southern public.
