Saturday, January 19
Why the Future is Socialism
Capitalism only promises a future of increasing exploitation for ourselves and the planet, but what do we replace it with? This morning we will look at the problems of capitalism, and how socialism – a society run by the workers – is not only a goal worth fighting for but a necessity for the survival of the human race.
Stateless Societies
What is human nature? It is too easy to look around our society and imagine that human beings have always lived like we do today. But in fact for 95 percent of human history, human beings lived in egalitarian, communal societies with no government, no army, no police, no courts, no taxes, and no jails. Working Class Struggles of the 1930s.
Film – With Babies and Banners
In the 1930s in the U.S., the working class launched one of the biggest strike waves in history. Workers across the United States sat down at their factories and occupied them. This evening we will see Babies and Banners, a film about the 1936 strike at General Motors in Flint, Michigan. More than any other strike of the 1930s, this struggle showed the power of the working class, and the role of working class militants and
organizations.
Sunday, January 20
The Origins of the Working Class And the beginning of Marxist Philosophy
Marx said “Philosophers have interpreted the world, but the point is to change it!” This morning we will look at the origins of the working class, and the beginning of the struggle of the workers against capitalism. And we will see how philosophy can be used to understand society – how it can be changed, and the role of individuals in making that happen.
Marxist Economics
Capitalism is a system based on exploitation. But, every bit of wealth created under capitalism is created by the working class. This gives the working class the power to transform society. This afternoon we will look at how the economy of capitalism is based on the exploitation of the working class.
Struggles of the 1960s: the Black Movement
In the 1960s, one of the deepest and most powerful social movements in U.S. history took place. The black population, mostly working class, did more in a decade to tear down racism than people had done in generations. We will look at this incredible social movement to see how people transform society, and transform themselves in the process. We will see how just a few people can change the course of history by organizing with others. But we will also look at the limits of that struggle if the fundamental structures of society are not changed as well.
Monday, January 21:
The Paris Commune
In the Paris Commune of 1871 the working class created a government unlike any other – a government by the working class, for the working class. In doing so, they showed for a brief time what a workers revolution will look like – struggling for a just, humane, and equal society run by the workers themselves.
The Russian Revolution
In 1917, the working class of Russia made a much deeper revolution, which like the Paris Commune, put the working class in control of the society. But unlike the Paris Commune, the Russian Revolution took one step further, and began the struggle to spread the socialist revolution to the rest of the world.
Struggles of the 1960s: The International Youth Revolt
In 1968 young people all over the world, both workers and students struggled against every government and every form of oppression. This evening we will look at the international dimensions of the 1960s and how social movements are able to spread world-wide.
