History Is Relevant
This podcast links the past to the present. The programs seek new perspectives on current events by examining the history that brought us to where we are today. The host, Robert Brent Toplin, is a university-based professor of history. He has published a dozen books and more than 200 articles, and he has commented on history, politics, and film in several nationally broadcast television and radio programs.
History Is Relevant
New York Has a Socialist Mayor. What’s That About?
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Why has socialism, which failed to attract many voters throughout American history, gained popularity in recent years? How did a Democratic Socialist, Zohran Mamdani, manage to win a mayoral election in New York City, the hub of American capitalism?
This podcast identifies the sources of Mamdani’s popularity and examines the historical record of socialism in the USA. It also highlights the ideas of Louis Brandeis, an influential justice of the Supreme Court who defended local political experimentation. Brandeis gave those trial-and-error approaches a name: “Laboratories of Democracy.”