People's History of Ideas Podcast

Matthew Rothwell
  • 4.9 (147)
  • HISTORY

In this podcast, Matthew Rothwell, author of Transpacific Revolutionaries: The Chinese Revolution in Latin America, explores the global history of ideas related to rebellion and revolution. The main focus of this podcast for the near future will be on the history of the Chinese Revolution, going all the way back to its roots in the initial Chinese reactions to British imperialism during the Opium War of 1839-1842, and then following the development of the revolution and many of the ideas that were products of the revolution through to their transnational diffusion in the late 20th century.

  1. A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire (January 1930) (Part One)

    6D AGO

    A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire (January 1930) (Part One)

    We begin our close reading of Mao’s January 5, 1930 letter to Lin Biao. Further reading: Stuart Schram, ed., Mao’s Road to Power, vol. 3: From the Jinggangshan to the Establishment of the Jiangxi Soviets, July 1927-December 1930 Pang Xianzhi and Jin Chongji, Mao Zedong: A Biography, vol. 1: 1893-1949 David Apter and Tony Saich, Revolutionary Discourse in Mao’s Republic Mao Zedong, “A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire” Some names from this episode: Lin Biao, commander of the first column of the Fourth Red Army Li Lisan, leading Communist He Long, leader of a soviet in the Hunan-Hubei border region Li Wenlin, leader of Donggu base area Fang Zhimin, leader of Northeastern Jiangxi soviet Episode artwork: Picture of a prairie fire (in Illinois) Subscribe on Substack: peopleshistoryofideas.substack.com Support the show

    23 min
  2. How Brainwashing was Good and Maoist Propaganda was True: An Interview with leading China scholar Aminda Smith

    MAR 7

    How Brainwashing was Good and Maoist Propaganda was True: An Interview with leading China scholar Aminda Smith

    This interview with Dr. Aminda Smith of Michigan State University touches on topics including why good PRC history is left history; thought reform, reeducation through labor, and brainwashing; the veracity of the propaganda produced for a global audience during the Mao years; and the Maoist legacy in China today. Further reading and watching: Aminda Smith, Thought Reform and China’s Dangerous Classes Aminda Smith, “The Maoism of PRC History” Aminda Smith, “Brainwashing and World Revolution” Aminda Smith, “The Legacies of 'Brainwashing': Cold War Ideology and Modern Chinese History” (the content of this talk is similar to the paywalled book chapter on brainwashing) Stephen Andors, China’s Industrial Revolution Positions Politics website H-PRC website Brian DeMare, Land Wars: The Story of China's Agrarian Revolution Richard Wolin, The Wind From the East: French Intellectuals, the Cultural Revolution, and the Legacy of the 1960s Philosophy is no Mystery Mao Zedong, “On Contradiction” Jonathan Spence, The Search for Modern China Zheng Yangwen, Ten Lessons in Modern Chinese History Maurice Meisner, Mao's China and After Jonathan Spence, The Gate of Heavenly Peace: The Chinese and Their Revolution Rebecca Karl, Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth-Century World: A Concise History Yueran Zhang, “Leninists in a Chinese Factory: Reflections on the Jasic Labour Organising Strategy” “Seeing through Muddied Waters, Part 1: Jasic, Strikes & Unions” “New Alliance of Students-Workers in Struggle of Union Formation: The Case of Jasic Conflict” “Longing for the Cultural Revolution in China Today” Rae Yang, Spider Eaters: A Memoir Support the show

    58 min
  3. Chen Duxiu Update (or, the Devil Makes Work for Idle Hands) (1929)

    12/11/2025

    Chen Duxiu Update (or, the Devil Makes Work for Idle Hands) (1929)

    The story of how the co-founder and first General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party became a Trotskyist. Further reading: Gregor Benton, China’s Urban Revolutionaries: Explorations in the History of Chinese Trotskyism, 1921-1952 Gregor Benton, Prophets Unarmed: Chinese Trotskyists in Revolution, War, Jail, and the Return from Limbo Lee Feigon, Chen Duxiu: Founder of the Chinese Communist Party Chang Kuo-t’ao [Zhang Guotao], The Rise of the Chinese Communist Party (2 volumes) Tony Saich, The Rise to Power of the Chinese Communist Party Jane Price, Cadres, Commanders, and Commissars: The Training of the Chinese Communist Leadership, 1920-1945 Some names from this episode: Chen Duxiu, co-founder of the Communist Party of China Li Dazhao, co-founder of the Communist Party of China Zheng Chaolin, Chinese Trotskyist Li Lisan, leading Communist Yin Kuan, resigned as Provincial Secretary in Anhui Peng Shuzhi, resigned as Provincial Secretary in Zhili Wang Zekai, Chinese Trotskyist Liu Bojian, former Provincial Secretary in Hubei Ren Xu, Chinese Trotskyist Xiang Ying, Jiangsu Provincial Secretary following the 6th Party Congress Cai Zhende, member of Jiangsu Provincial Committee Zhou Enlai, head of the Organization Department of the Central Committee Wang Ruofei, sent to work in a factory in Moscow as punishment for Trotskyism before recanting Qu Qiubai, top leader of Communist Party from the summer of 1927 until the Sixth Congress Zhang Guotao, leading Communist  Episode artwork: Chen Duxiu with Peng Shuzi in 1932 Support the show

    31 min
  4. Did the German Communists Really Say “After Hitler, Our Turn?” Exploring the Historical Evidence

    11/21/2025

    Did the German Communists Really Say “After Hitler, Our Turn?” Exploring the Historical Evidence

    Responding to listener queries about the evidence behind this common assertion regarding the KPD’s underestimation of the fascist threat. Further reading: Jane Degras, ed., The Communist International, 1919-1943: Documents, vol. 3: 1929-1943 International Press Correspondence Communist International journal (1933) Documents from the 13th Plenum of the ECCI Some names from this episode: Chen Duxiu, co-founder of the Communist Party of China Hermann Remmele, leading KPD Reichstag member Heinrich Brüning, German Chancellor from 1930-1932 Osip Piatnitsky, leading Comintern figure Wilhelm Pieck, leader of KPD from 1934 Episode artwork: Autonome Antifa (M) poster from 1991 Support the show

    19 min
  5. Revolution in the ‘20s, Go For It: The ‘Third Period’ Comes to China

    10/31/2025

    Revolution in the ‘20s, Go For It: The ‘Third Period’ Comes to China

    The 1920s that is. The Comintern lets the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee know how the objective conditions in China are ripening for revolution. Further reading: Nikolai Bukharin, “On the International Situation and the Tasks of the Chinese Communist Party” Nicholas Kozlov and Eric Weitz, “Reflections on the Origins of the ‘Third Period’: Bukharin, the Comintern, and the Political Economy of Weimar Germany” Robin Kelley, Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists during the Great Depression Theodore Rosengarten, All God’s Dangers: The Life of Nate Shaw Sebastian Haffner, Failure of a Revolution: Germany 1918-1919 Chen Jian, Zhou Enlai: A Life Jane Degras, ed., The Communist International, 1919-1943: Documents, vol. 3: 1929-1943 So Wai-chor, The Kuomintang Left in the National Revolution, 1924–1931 Some names from this episode: Nikolai Bukharin, general secretary of the executive committee of the Comintern (1926-1929) Rosa Luxemburg, German communist leader murdered in 1919 Karl Liebknecht, German communist leader murdered in 1919 Li Lisan, leading Communist Stalin, Stalin Feng Yuxiang, northwestern warlord who turned on Chiang Kai-shek during Sino-Soviet war Wang Jingwei, the overall leader of the Guomindang Left Chen Gongbo, main ideologue of the Reorganization Comrades Association Chen Duxiu, co-founder of the Communist Party He Long, leader of a soviet in the Hunan-Hubei border region Episode artwork: Li Lisan with family Support the show

    27 min
  6. The Chinese Communist Party Interventions in the 1929 Sino-Soviet War

    10/10/2025

    The Chinese Communist Party Interventions in the 1929 Sino-Soviet War

    How the Chinese Communist Party tried to turn war into revolution in Manchuria in 1929. Further reading: Bruce A. Elleman and Stephen Kotkin, eds., Manchurian Railways and the Opening of China Michael M. Walker, The 1929 Sino-Soviet War Chong-Sik Lee, Revolutionary Struggle in Manchuria: Chinese Communism and Soviet Interest, 1922-1945 “Japan Moves Town to Reach Coal Vein” Some names from this episode: Miles Lampson, British minister to China Yang Jingyu, Fushun special branch secretary of the CCP Liu Shaoqi, Communist labor organizer and secretary of the CCP’s Manchurian Committee from June 1929 to March 1930 Ting Chün-yang, veteran communist sent to Manchuria Meng Yongqian, veteran communist sent to Manchuria Episode artwork: Postcard of a Fushun coal mine from the early 1940s Support the show

    23 min
  7. The 1929 Sino-Soviet War Concludes

    06/28/2025

    The 1929 Sino-Soviet War Concludes

    The final Soviet offensive, and some details on Chiang Ching-kuo’s activities as a student in Moscow. Further reading: Bruce A. Elleman and Stephen Kotkin, eds., Manchurian Railways and the Opening of China Michael M. Walker, The 1929 Sino-Soviet War Jay Taylor, The Generalissimo's Son: Chiang Ching-Kuo and the Revolutions in China and Taiwan Some names from this episode: Zhang Xueliang, Manchurian warlord Feng Yuxiang, northwestern warlord who turned on Chiang Kai-shek during Sino-Soviet war Joseph Stilwell, United States military attaché in China Mikhail Borodin, Comintern agent and political head of Soviet mission to aid the Guomindang during the first Communist-Guomindang united front Chiang Ching-kuo, son of Chiang Kai-shek Zhou Enlai, leading Communist Vasily Blyukher, commander of the Special Far Eastern Army Aleksandr Cherepanov, commander of the 39th Rifle Division in the Soviet Far East Episode artwork: Picture of a young Chiang Ching-kuo Support the show

    22 min
  8. The 1929 Sino-Soviet War Begins

    05/14/2025

    The 1929 Sino-Soviet War Begins

    Some basic military history of the beginning of the war. Further reading: Bruce A. Elleman and Stephen Kotkin, eds., Manchurian Railways and the Opening of China Michael M. Walker, The 1929 Sino-Soviet War John Erickson, The Soviet High Command: A Military-Political History, 1918-1941 Some names from this episode: Vasily Blyukher (née Gurov, aka Galen), commander of the Special Far Eastern Army Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Prussian general in Napoleonic wars Aleksandr Cherepanov, commander of the 39th Rifle Division in the Soviet Far East Andrei Bubnov, head of the political administration of the Soviet Red Army Feng Yuxiang, warlord close to both the USA and the Soviet Union A. I. Traynin, captain of the Soviet warship Sverdlov Mok Yiuming, captain of the Chinese gunboat Lishui Fedor Vulahov, lead petty officer of the Sverdlov R. I. Yuanzem, commander of the Soviet warship Red East I. I. Nikitin, captain of the Soviet warship Sun Yatsen I. A. Onufriev, the commander of the 2nd “Amur” Rifle Division Episode artwork: Photo of Soviet soldiers with captured Guomindang banners Support the show

    22 min
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4.9
out of 5
147 Ratings

About

In this podcast, Matthew Rothwell, author of Transpacific Revolutionaries: The Chinese Revolution in Latin America, explores the global history of ideas related to rebellion and revolution. The main focus of this podcast for the near future will be on the history of the Chinese Revolution, going all the way back to its roots in the initial Chinese reactions to British imperialism during the Opium War of 1839-1842, and then following the development of the revolution and many of the ideas that were products of the revolution through to their transnational diffusion in the late 20th century.

Information

  • Creator
    Matthew Rothwell
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    134
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 People's History of Ideas Podcast
  • Show Website
    People's History of Ideas Podcast

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