What Is Democracy?
Filmmaker Astra Taylor on her latest documentary, the relationship between democracy and freedom, and why the latest round of books on the erosion of norms are "just not very good."
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Italy’s Five Falling Stars
In just ten years, the Five Star Movement has risen from nowhere to become Italy’s leading party, and then collapsed again. Its volatile support and eclectic politics aren’t just an Italian quirk — they show how voter binds to political institutions are crumbling across the West.
In Spain, Franco Still Lives
The exhumation of Francisco Franco was meant to help Spain get over four decades of fascist dictatorship. But as the country heads to general elections today, nationalist tensions are soaring — and the Franco-nostalgic Vox party is set to be the big winner.
America’s Federalist Dysfunction Isn’t Going Away
Instead of prompting the coordinated, national response that’s needed, this pandemic is exacerbating one of the most destructive and enduring themes of US political life: the sectional conflict between states, and between town and country. Progress in battling coronavirus will continue to be hamstrung by our dysfunctional federalist system.
Jacobin’s Quarantine Movie List
A new canon for those stuck indoors.
Capitalism Is Not the Solution to Urban America’s Problems — Capitalism Itself Is the Problem
The COVID-19 crisis has triggered a fresh round of soul-searching in establishment media outlets about the problems of urban America. Unless we address the root cause of those problems in the structure of our economic system, we’ll never be able to solve them.
In Cities and Towns Across the US This Week, the Brutal Police Riot Has Continued
We're witnessing a national police riot that hasn't showed any signs of slowing. The instances of brutal police violence against protesters are so numerous that it's hard to keep track of them all — but here are some of the worst abuses we've seen.
Georgia’s Coronavirus Crisis Is Being Covered Up
Since Georgia’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp reopened the economy, infection rates have skyrocketed. But the state has found a way to deal with the problem — by making the surge of new cases disappear from the government’s official COVID-19 tracking website.
Newly Revealed Documents Show How the AFL-CIO Aided US Interference in Venezuela
The AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Center has a long history of working hand in glove with the US government in undermining democracy and left labor movements throughout the world. The center emphasizes it has shifted away from these Cold War tactics in recent years. But newly obtained documents show that the Solidarity Center has worked closely with the US to undermine the Venezuelan government in the recent past.
Cormega: “When It Comes to Art, What Kind of Artist Are You?”
We sat down with legendary rapper and New York icon Cormega to talk about his long career, battles with a brutal criminal justice system, the economics of the hip-hop industry, and why he decided to vote for Bernie Sanders.
Message in a Bottle
In the United States of 2020, millions are desperate for help, and they’re forced to compete for scraps from Twitter philanthropists.
Drive Spain’s Francoites From Their Palaces (and Boardrooms)
Spanish dictator Francisco Franco's family has finally been evicted from the summer palace it has occupied since 1938. The handover shows how Spain is starting to confront its past — but also points to the vast real estate and business power that still lies in the hands of Franco's supporters.
Ken Burns Talks to Jacobin About the Radical Ernest Hemingway
From fighting alongside communists in the Spanish Civil War to backing revolutionaries in Cuba, documentarian Ken Burns shows us the radical side of writer Ernest Hemingway in the new PBS docuseries Hemingway. Burns talks to Jacobin about Hemingway’s forgotten left-wing politics and why the writer still matters.
Gerry Harvey Is an Emblem of Australia’s Corrupt Economic System
Australian retail billionaire Gerry Harvey has rightly been vilified for describing COVID-19 as an opportunity for profitmaking. But Harvey was just stating the facts: the pandemic has enabled his class to get even richer off the backs of the working class.
Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony Was a Defiant Counterblast to Nazi Aggression
Performed in a city under siege, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Leningrad Symphony symbolized popular resistance to the Nazi invasion. A complex work with several layers of political meaning, the symphony was a high point of twentieth-century classical music.
Six Takeaways From India Walton’s Historic Victory in Buffalo
Here is a data-driven look at how democratic socialist India Walton won Buffalo’s mayoral primary, and what her coalition really looks like.
New Age Wellness Cranks Are Joining Forces With the Far Right
The Australian far right has joined forces with New Age spiritualists, snake-oil salesmen, and wellness gurus to take advantage of social alienation caused by the pandemic. Despite the new branding, their anti-union, anti-working-class politics remain the same.
We Can Decommodify Housing Through Eminent Domain
Eminent domain has long been used to displace working-class people of color in Los Angeles, as in many cities. In a twist, a group of LA tenants is campaigning to use eminent domain to save themselves from eviction.
The Dada Movement’s Political Turn
Born in Zurich in 1916, Dada is famed for its antiwar, anti-bourgeois, and anti-art antics. But in Berlin after the Bolshevik Revolution, the movement took a sharp political turn, merging anti-fascist propaganda with leftist organizing.
Coachella Is a Carnival for Capital
Coachella is less a music festival than a showcase for brands. You could even say that Coachella is at the bleeding edge of capitalist bullshit.