In this episode of Letters and Politics we hear recordings from a film on the life and works of Karl Marx, entitled “What if Marx Was Right?,” part of a six-part series on the history of capitalism, Capitalism, by filmmaker Ilan Ziv. this episode questions whether history has “gotten Marx wrong” by focusing on The Communist Manifesto instead of his critique of capitalism.
About the film:
When the communist systems of the 20th century crumbled, many thought that was the end for Karl Marx as a serious thinker too. But the last few years have seen a reawakening of interest in Marx’s work – in particular for his analysis of the nature of capital and the forces it unleashes.
Concentrating on commodification, alienation, and the fetishization of money and credit, WHAT IF MARX WAS RIGHT argues that Marx is more relevant now than he has been in nearly a century.
The film features former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis, small farm activist Vandana Shiva, economist Thomas Piketty and Marx experts Mary Gabriel and David Harvey, among others.