Short Stuff: Bourgeoisie

Manifesto of the Communist Party, better known as The Communist Manifesto, outlines the beliefs of the Communists and the program of the Communist League, a worker’s party. The Communists were concerned about social and political inequality—conditions that still exist today—and via the manifesto, share their concerns and proposed solutions.

Have you ever wondered why American culture is so focused on “hustle” and productivity, in contrast to many European nations’ laid-back attitudes? As far back as the 1600s, Anglo-American Protestants broke away from the traditional economic lifestyle—working just enough to sustain their lives, then relaxing—and began to work harder, longer, and more systematically than anyone had before.

Max Weber argued in this 1905 classic that the early Protestants in western Europe and America pioneered the way of life that became the modern capitalist’s lifestyle—the productive, rigorous, and systematic pursuit of wealth. And in doing so, they provided the cultural and financial impetus for capitalism to become a full-fledged economic system.

In our guide to The Protestant Ethic, we’ll break down Weber’s argument about the origins and effects of the Protestant way of life and its connection to capitalism. In commentary, we’ll discuss how Weber’s argument relates to Marxism, dive into the theological and historical details, and highlight related arguments about the origins of capitalism.

Orientalism is a study of the scholarly, intellectual, political, and ideological phenomenon known as Orientalism: the framework through which Western writers, policymakers, and the general public have interpreted and defined the Islamic societies of the Middle East as “the Orient.” Orientalism does not reflect objective truth about these societies or the people who live in them. Instead, it is an invention of the Western mind that posits a fundamentally different, exotic, dangerous, unchanging, and “other” East—an idea that was a major intellectual cornerstone of European imperialism and that continues to have profound implications on today’s geopolitical landscape.

Manifesto of the Communist Party, better known as The Communist Manifesto, outlines the beliefs of the Communists and the program of the Communist League, a worker’s party. The Communists were concerned about social and political inequality—conditions that still exist today—and via the manifesto, share their concerns and proposed solutions.

Are we in “late-stage capitalism”? Some authors have argued recently that capitalism is a system destined to fail. In this article we’ll look at some of the evidence for that, as well as counterarguments that tout capitalism’s resilience—and we’ll discuss what might come next.

In American Marxism, Mark Levin argues that Democrats and leftist organizations are fueling a Marxist revolution against American culture and society. They’re indoctrinating the public with radical Marxist ideologies like Critical Race Theory through public education; reinforcing these ideas through the media and entertainment; and censoring opposition with “cancel culture.” Levin asserts that if American patriots fail to expose this left-wing brainwashing, Democrats will gain dominion over the American government and society. Ultimately, they’ll create a totalitarian regime in which American values like freedom of speech, free-market capitalism, and private property rights are non-existent.

This guide will relay Levin’s exposé of the rise of Marxism in America by discussing who the American Marxists are, the ideologies they’re pushing, how they’re indoctrinating the public, and what American patriots can do to maintain their freedom. Throughout the guide, we’ll contextualize Levin’s argument with information from economists, scientists, and other experts.

If you’ve ever noticed that history seems to repeat itself over the course of centuries, you may be wondering what causes that pattern—and how it may play out in the future. In The Fourth Turning, historian William Strauss and consultant Neil Howe explain how Anglo-American history follows a pattern of four 15 to 25-year periods, called Turnings, and how the behaviors of different generations define these Turnings.

In our guide, we’ll explore the authors’ theories on the Four Turnings, as well as the generational archetypes and their respective roles in the Turnings. We’ll also discuss the authors’ descriptions of the past three Turnings and their predictions for the Fourth. Finally, we’ll examine the authors’ theories in the context of history and modern society, as well as how their predictions about the Fourth Turning have played out in the years since the book’s publication in 1997.

In Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, sociologist Arlie Hochschild seeks to understand the social, cultural, and emotional forces driving right-wing politics, in an effort to move past the partisan divide and approach American politics from a position of empathy for those on the right. By breaking down this empathy wall, we can come to truly inhabit the emotional world of the right, giving us insight into why these voters believe what they believe—and why those beliefs might make sense given these voters’ experiences.