Before Bernie and Mamdani, There Was Eugene Debs

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Shawn Gude is the former editor of Jacobin and author of American Socialist: The Life and Legacy of Eugene V. Debs. He joins Current Affairs editor in chief Nathan J. Robinson to discuss how Debs went from moderate railroad unionist to one of America’s most influential socialist leaders.

✊ Get the book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/American-Socialist/Shawn-Gude/9781668056738

0:00–3:51 Why Eugene Debs Still Matters

3:51–10:10 How Debs Became a Socialist

10:10–18:30 Debs’s Personality and Political Appeal

18:30–25:28 When Socialism Thrived in the Midwest

25:28–29:24 What Socialism Meant to Debs

29:24–35:31 The Defeat and Decline of Debs’s Movement

35:31–40:26 What Debs Can Teach the Left Today

40:26–43:28 What Shawn Learned About Debs While Writing the Book

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