Part 5/13:
The guest traces the roots of libertarian socialism to French libertaire thought, emphasizing that the ideology originally aimed to empower workers rather than consolidate state power.
He draws contrasts between statist socialism (Lenin, the USSR, Mao)—which historically centralized authority—and anti-statist socialism advocated by figures like Luxembourg and Bakunin.
The narrative underscores how power, whether in the form of the state or corporations, typically tends toward centralization and exploitation. The tendency of large corporations to morph into faceless entities that erode worker rights and concentrate wealth is a particular concern.