Marx Prestige, Episode 1: The Civil War and American Capitalism

American Prestige

Daniel Bessner & Derek Davison

News, History, Politics

4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 31 March 2026

⏱️ 64 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In lieu of a standard episode today, we are premiering the first episode of Marx Prestige, a series where Danny, Derek, and historian Andrew Hartman discuss Karl Marx and how the philosophy and politics he created shaped and reshaped the United States. Subscribe now at the annual tier for free access to series like this one! In this first episode of Marx Prestige, Danny, Derek, and Andrew Hartman talk about how Karl Marx understood the United States as a testing ground for capitalism and democratic development in the nineteenth century. They delve into the reception history approach to Marx in America, Marx’s early views on American democracy and capitalism, his writings on the Civil War and slavery, the transition in Marx’s thought from philosophy to political economy, Reconstruction and its limits, early American interpretations of Marx, and the emergence of Marxism in the late nineteenth century. Be sure to check out Andrew's Book ⁠⁠Karl Marx in America⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to American Prestige.
0:03.2	To listen ad-free, you can subscribe at AmericanPrestigepod.com.
0:08.3	Find the link in our show notes.
0:11.2	Jamie Lang and Sophie Haboo have arrived on Disney Plus.
0:15.8	We're having a baby.
0:16.7	We're having a baby.
0:18.3	I've always wanted to be mom.
0:20.6	And we're bringing you on our journey through everything.
0:23.5	I have no idea what we're doing.
0:24.8	Thank you. I have more of an idea.
0:26.8	I think of it like a Tamagocchi.
0:28.7	At the end of all of this...
0:30.6	We're going to have a little baby.
0:32.8	Raising Chelsea, a Hulu original series
0:35.2	streaming April 2nd exclusively on Disney Plus.
0:38.4	18 plus subscription required T's T's Apply.
0:41.7	Hey, Prestige Heads, Danny here.
0:43.7	This series, Mark's Prestige, started out as a one-off interview with Andrew Hartman,
0:48.2	but then grew into a six-episode series.
0:50.5	We get into some really interesting conversations about Marx's writings on America, and then the many times in American history where Marx's theories seem to gain more traction.
0:59.7	From the New Deal to McCarthyism, to the new left in Bernie, the series covers it all.
1:04.4	So we really hope you enjoy it, and as always, keep on rocking in the free world.
	...

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