House of Dissent

Socialism with Chinese Characteristics: Socialism or State Capitalism?

This episode examines China’s claim that it is a socialist country under Xi Jinping, exploring the meaning of “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” historical materialism, and the party’s ideological continuity from Deng to Xi. It contrasts models like market socialism, democratic socialism, and state capitalism, considers policy shifts (economic reform, ecological targets, and party control), and asks whether China’s system advances socialist objectives or serves a one-party state interest.

Episode Twenty-Eight: Engineering Consent: Edward Bernays, Propaganda and Public Relations

Episode 28 of the House of Dissent podcast examines Edward Bernays and the emergence of public relations as a force in 20th-century politics and commerce. It explores how mass communications, advertising and PR shaped consumer culture, reinforced capitalism, and became tools of Cold War propaganda. The episode discusses Bernays' major campaigns (including promoting women smoking and his role in the 1954 Guatemala coup), the broader context of the Marshall Plan and US cultural influence, and the ways media and propaganda engineered public opinion to protect and expand capitalist systems.

Episode Twenty-Seven: Karl Marx and Historical Materialism: Part Three: The End of History?

Episode 27 revisits historical materialism to ask whether Marx’s theory still explains our world. The host contrasts Marx’s prediction of socialism emerging from capitalism with Fukuyama’s “end of history” thesis, examines the role of mass media and advertising in preserving capitalist systems, and reflects on post‑1989 developments from Eastern Europe to China. The episode also critiques Stalinist states as distinct from Marx’s communism, highlights modern left movements and critics who challenge the triumphalist view of capitalism, and raises questions about how AI, inequality, and changing media might reshape labour and class conflict in the future.

Episode Twenty-Six: Karl Marx and Historical Materialism: Part Two

Episode 26 of the House of Dissent podcast expands on Marx's theory of historical materialism, focusing on the division of labour, consciousness, and alienation. The host traces Marx’s writings from the German Ideology and the 1844 Manuscripts through to Das Kapital, and connects them to later thinkers like Lukács and the Frankfurt School, as well as contemporary figures such as Xi Jinping and Francis Fukuyama. The episode explores how industrial and post-industrial changes, commodity fetishism, mass media, and advertising shape class relations and consciousness, and considers why proletarian revolution did not emerge in capitalist societies. The final segment previews a discussion of Fukuyama’s 'end of history' thesis in the next episode.

Episode Twenty-Five: Karl Marx and Historical Materialism: Part One

In this episode of the House of Dissent podcast, the host introduces Marx's Materialist Conception of History, explaining how modes of production emerge and collapse and discusses the division of labour, class consciousness, and alienation. The episode contrasts Marx's materialist critique of Hegelian idealism, notes modern responses (including Xi Jinping's take on scientific socialism), and previews two follow-up episodes that dive deeper into alienation and the contemporary relevance of historical materialism.