Upstream

In this episode, part 1 of our new series on Cuba, Manolo De Los Santos joins us to explore Cuba before the Cuban revolution. Manolo De Los Santos is a founder of the People's Forum and a researcher at Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He is the co-editor Viviremos: Venezuela vs. Hybrid War, Comrade of the Revolution: Selected Speeches of Fidel Castro, and Our Own Path to Socialism: Selected Speeches of Hugo Chávez.
The conversation opens with an exploration of Cuba's Indigenous peoples and their culture and practice of resistance to European colonialism which continues to this day. We then talk about the early history of the Caribbean and Cuba's position in the Atlantic slave trade and early industrial plantation capitalism as well as some of the many rebellions led by enslaved Africans on the island of Cuba. Manolo also tells us about Cuba's "independence" in 1902, or what he refers to as a false independence and the imposition of US imperialism on the island.
We then introduce Fulgencio Batista and the period of dictatorship beginning in the 1930s which inaugurated an era of "paradise" in Cuba—paradise for US corporations and for the political and military elites surrounding Batista. We talk about the social inequality and repression in Cuba during this period as well as the development of the tourism industry which was a model that was later exported across the world. We conclude with the lead up to the Cuban Revolution and the material conditions which led to it. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this series, ¡Viva la Revolución, where we'll take a deep dive into Cuba's revolution.
Further resources:
The People's Forum
Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research
History Will Absolve Me, Fidel Castro
Related episodes:
Listen to our ongoing series on Venezuela
Alliance of Sahel States Pt. 3: Hyperimperialism and the Fight for Sovereignty w/ Mikaela Nhondo Erskog
Listen to our ongoing series on Mexico
Intermission music: "Que Salgo el Sol" by El Guajiro
Upstream is entirely listener funded. No ads, no promotions, no grants—just Patreon subscriptions and listener donations. We couldn't keep this project going without your support. Subscribe to our Patreon for bi-weekly bonus episodes, access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, and for Upstream stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. Through your support you'll be helping us keep Upstream sustainable and helping to keep this whole project going—socialist political education podcasts are not easy to fund so thank you in advance for the crucial support. patreon.com/upstreampodcast
For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

This is an unlocked version of the Patreon episode "How Fascism Works." RIP Michael Parenti, (September 30, 1933 – January 24, 2026)
In this episode of our reading series, Robbie reads and provides real-time analysis of the opening chapter of the classic book Blackshirts & Reds: Rational Fascism & the Overthrow of Communism by Michael Parenti. The text covers the topics of plutocracy and autocracy, whom the fascists last century supported, a bit of history on Hitler and Mussolini, the rational and irrational aspects of fascism, patriarchy and pseudo-revolution, collaboration, and much more. 
The analysis provided in the reading brings this text into our current conditions and looks at where Parenti's analysis holds up and where it might need to be stretched and adapted to help us understand the rise of neofascism in the United States under Trump and his modern day fascist footsoldiers. We explain why it's more important than ever to resist collaboration and to stand in full solidarity with all of the racialized and criminalized "others" in order to combat the fearmongering and scapegoating that fascism relies on in order to grow in strength. 
Further resources:
Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism, by Michael Parenti
Related episodes:
From the Frontlines: State Repression and Anti-Imperialist Organizing w/ Calla Walsh
Capitalism, The State, and How We Got Here with Christian Parenti
Upstream is a labor of love — we couldn't keep this project going without the generosity of our listeners and fans. Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/upstreampodcast or please consider chipping in a one-time or recurring donation at www.upstreampodcast.org/support
For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

This is a free preview of the episode "Alliance of Sahel States Pt. 4: The Life, Politics and Legacies of Thomas Sankara w/ Amber Murrey." You can listen to the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast
As a Patreon subscriber you'll get access to at least one bonus episode a month (usually two or three), our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, early access to certain episodes, and other benefits like stickers and bumper stickers—depending on which tier you subscribe to. access to bi-weekly bonus episodes ranging from conversations to readings and more. Signing up for Patreon is a great way to make Upstream a weekly show, and it will also give you access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes along with stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. You'll also be helping to keep Upstream sustainable and allowing us to keep this project going.
In this episode, Part 4 of our series on the Alliance of Sahel States, Amber Murrey joins us for a conversation on Thomas Sankara. In this conversation, we discuss Sankara's early life and how his experience with French colonialism shaped his politics and philosophies. We talk about how those philosophies were implemented into policy after a 1983 coup d'etat that put him into the presidency. We explore his fight against French imperialism and for sovereignty of the Burkinabé population. We discuss his assassination, who was responsible, and why it's more important than ever for us to share about his work and uplift his legacy here in the West. 
Amber Murrey is Associate Professor in Human Geography, Fellow and Tutor at Mansfield College, and Director of Undergraduate Studies for Geography & the Environment at the University of Oxford. taught at universities in Ethiopia, Egypt, Cameroon, the US. Amber is also the editor of 'A Certain Amount of Madness': The Life, Politics and Legacies of Thomas Sankara and Associate Editor of The African Geographical Review.
Further resources:
A Certain Amount of Madness The Life, Politics and Legacies of Thomas Sankara
Thomas Sankara An African Revolutionary, Ernest Harsch
The International Campaign of Justice for Sankara
Who Killed Thomas Sankara? by Bruno Jaffré
Interview with Aziz Fall on the assassination of Thomas Sankara, by Koni Benson and Mukoma Wa Ngugi
Thomas Sankara: A Revolutionary in Cold War Africa, by Brian J. Peterson
Related episodes:
Our onging series on the Alliance of Sahel States
A History of the CIA, Coups, and Assassinations w/ Vijay Prashad
Artwork: Sanyika
Upstream is a labor of love — we couldn't keep this project going without the generosity of our listeners and fans. Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/upstreampodcast or please consider chipping in a one-time or recurring donation at www.upstreampodcast.org/support
For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

In this episode, part 2 of our 2-part miniseries on US labor and imperialism, Jeff Schuhrke joins us to take a deep dive into his new book, No Neutrals There, exploring US labor's support of Zionism.
Jeff Schuhrke is a labor historian, journalist, union activist, and assistant professor at the Harry Van Arsdale Jr School of Labor Studies, SUNY Empire State University. He's the author of Blue-Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor's Global Anticommunist Crusade, and No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine.
The conversation opens with a history of Zionism, looking at the rise of Zionism and crucially contrasting it to the Jewish Labor Bund and their different approach to Jewish emancipation. We then present a history of the settler-colonial project which became Israel, looking at the labor landscape in Palestine during the first half of the 20th century (the Great Arab Revolt, WWII, the period of the Holocaust) and exploring US labor's role in supporting the Zionist project ideologically, financially, and even militarily throughout the Nakba and the creation of the State of Israel. 
We then talk about how US labor's support (specifically the AFL-CIO's) for Zionism after the creation of the state of Israel, providing billions of dollars of support and lobbying on behalf of Israel, providing crucial early support. 
Part 1 of this miniseries took a deep dive into Jeff's book Blue-Collar Empire, looking at US labor's role in supporting imperialism and anticommunism. 
Further resources:
No Neutrals There: US Labor, Zionism, and the Struggle for Palestine
Blue-Collar Empire: The Untold Story of US Labor's Global Anticommunist Crusade
Donate to ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid)
Donate to MECA (Middle East Children's Alliance)
Amazon Labor Union
BDS Movement
Block the Boat
Related episodes:
US Labor & Imperialism Pt. 1: the War Against Communism w/ Jeff Schuhrke
Listen to our ongoing Palestine series
From the Frontlines: Organizing Against Amazon w/ Chris Smalls and Mars VerroneFrom the Frontlines: Organizing Against Amazon w/ Chris Smalls and Mars Verrone
What Is To Be Done? with Breht O'Shea and Alyson Escalante
Please Donate:
Help Ismail and his family survive in Gaza — a note from Ismail's fundraiser: "Ismail is 20 years old and has taken excellent care of his mother and three younger siblings. 'Excellent care' means being threatened by American mercenaries at the GHF "aid" points when those killing workshops were in operation. 'Excellent care' means going without a rumour of food so his loved ones could eat. 'Excellent care' means retaining his astonishing physical strength and agility in conditions that would test the discipline of a spiritual genius. He is deeply loveable and wonderfully funny. He would be ecstatic to know his life is visible to others. Any money that could be appropriately spared would give him and his family such relief as I hope I will never know."
Intermission music: "No Rest" by No Rest (Please support their fundraiser for a Palestinian family)
Cover art: Berwyn Mure
Upstream is entirely listener funded. No ads, no promotions, no grants—just Patreon subscriptions and listener donations. We couldn't keep this project going without your support. Subscribe to our Patreon for bi-weekly bonus episodes, access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, and for Upstream stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. Through your support you'll be helping us keep Upstream sustainable and helping to keep this whole project going—socialist political education podcasts are not easy to fund so thank you in advance for the crucial support. patreon.com/upstreampodcast
For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Note: We have unlocked this Patreon episode which originally aired on Jun 23, 2025
It's easy to get lost in the narratives that are fed to us by the very same institutions that oppress us. Whether liberal institutions or far right ones, there's always something crucial missing—some component of analysis that's left unaddressed, some root cause that remains misidentified or distorted. And the reason is because when it comes to the class war that we are all engaged in—whether we like it or not—the issues of class, of imperialism, and of monopoly capitalism are never, ever part of the mainstream discussion. 
So, what are the root causes of immigration? What do the ICE terror campaigns look like on the ground in cities like LA or Nashville? What happens when we apply a materialist lens to the conversation about mass deportations and conversation about the scapegoating of the more vulnerable groups in society? And what happens when we shift the frame from the more liberal, rights-based approach to activism to one based on unified, solidaristic class struggle? Well, we've brought back on the perfect guest to help us unpack some of these pressing questions. 
Cecilia Guerrero is Chair and Founding Member of A Luta Sigue, an organization based in Nashville, Tennessee, which incubates and trains young people and workers within advanced sectors of the working class to build and lead their own class struggle organizations.
In this episode, we talk about the terror campaign being waged on immigrants throughout the country and the responses coming from working class communities who are standing up for themselves and standing in solidarity with the oppressed and exploited classes across the globe. We talk about ICE, the role that immigration plays in the imperialist global system, the attempts by liberal institutions to co-opt and neutralize our radical movements, and what the MAGA right gets wrong about the root cause of their immiseration. 
Further resources:
A Luta Sigue
Poder Popular
Tennessee Drivers Union
Southern Youth Solidarity Network
Capitalism and Workers' Immigration, V.I. Lenin
Marx to Sigfrid Meyer and August Vogt In New York, Karl Marx
Related episodes:
From the Frontlines: Class Struggle and Class War in the US Southeast w/ Cecilia Guerrero
The Imperial Boomerang w/ Julian Go
Artwork: CPSU propaganda poster
Upstream is a labor of love — we couldn't keep this project going without the generosity of our listeners and fans. Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/upstreampodcast or please consider chipping in a one-time or recurring donation at www.upstreampodcast.org/support
If your organization wants to sponsor one of our upcoming documentaries, we have a number of sponsorship packages available. Find out more at  upstreampodcast.org/sponsorship
For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org and follow us on Instagram and Bluesky. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.