Welcome to the Empire Files podcast. This is Abby Martin. This is the audio version of each episode of

the Empire Files hosted on Telesaur English. You can watch every episode at the Empirefiles.tv.

In a country that declared the end to socialism, a major poll released in January of 2016 revealed something unexpected.

43% of people under 30 in the U.S. view socialism favorably, compared to only 32% who view

capitalism favorably.

This shows that despite a concerted effort to smother the ideas of a man who died 133 years

ago this March.

The analysis put forward by Karl Marx remains extremely relevant today.

Marx is considered the most influential philosopher to ever live.

With his co-thinker Frederick Engels, they developed a way of understanding the world

that has not only greatly contributed to the understanding of philosophy and economics,

but also history, anthropology, political science, biology, and many other fields.

As a young man in the mid-19th century, Marx embedded himself in the workers' movements in his home country of Germany,

then in France, from where he

was exiled to London for his political activity. In addition to dedicating himself to the scientific

study of capitalism and social change, Marx was also an organizer and convened the very first

international organization of socialists with the goal of overthrowing capitalism,

known as the Communist League, whose slogan was Working Men of All Countries Unite.

His work capital is regarded as the premier dissection of the economic system we live under.

His discovery of dialectical materialism redefined the world of philosophy, and his rallying call the Communist Manifesto is considered the most influential political document in the world.

As the U.S. Empire thrashes to survive the current global capitalist crisis, and with rejection of capitalism clearly growing among young people, I wanted to find out what it was about Marx's work that has had such a profound impact from peasants in Asia to minors in Africa to workers in the U.S. alike.

So I talked to someone who's been teaching students and the public about Marxism for years, Dr. Richard Wolfe, Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University

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