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The Chapo Guide to Revolution: A Critical Analysis and Modern Interpretation
Introduction:
Are you intrigued by the revolutionary fervor of history, yet skeptical of simplistic narratives? Do you yearn for a deeper understanding of the forces driving societal upheaval, beyond the black-and-white pronouncements of propaganda? Then you've come to the right place. This in-depth exploration delves into "The Chapo Guide to Revolution," examining its core arguments, critiquing its limitations, and ultimately offering a nuanced perspective on revolutionary movements throughout history. We'll dissect the key concepts, explore their historical context, and consider their relevance in the modern world. This isn't just a summary; it's a critical engagement with a complex and often controversial text. Prepare for a thought-provoking journey that challenges assumptions and encourages critical thinking.
What is "The Chapo Guide to Revolution"?
Before we dive into the analysis, it's important to define our subject. "The Chapo Guide to Revolution," while not a formally published book, refers to a collection of essays, articles, and discussions originating from the podcast and online presence of the Chapo Trap House collective. These writings generally explore revolutionary theory and practice through a Marxist-Leninist lens, often engaging with historical examples and contemporary political struggles. However, it's crucial to recognize the inherent diversity of thought within the Chapo Trap House sphere – a monolithic interpretation would be inaccurate.
Chapter 1: Understanding Revolutionary Theory – Beyond the Textbook
Traditional accounts of revolutions often present a simplified, almost heroic narrative. The Chapo Guide, however, strives to dismantle this simplification. It argues that revolutions aren't spontaneous uprisings, but rather the culmination of complex societal pressures, economic inequalities, and political failures. The text emphasizes the importance of understanding the material conditions that fuel revolutionary movements, rather than focusing solely on charismatic leaders or ideological pronouncements. This necessitates examining class structures, economic systems, and the power dynamics within a given society.
Chapter 2: Historical Context and Case Studies – Learning from the Past
The Chapo Guide utilizes various historical case studies to illustrate its points. These case studies, ranging from the French Revolution to the Russian Revolution and beyond, are critically analyzed, highlighting both successes and failures. The text avoids hagiography, acknowledging the complexities, contradictions, and unintended consequences associated with these revolutionary periods. The focus remains on extracting valuable lessons from history, rather than simply celebrating or condemning past events. The analysis emphasizes the unique contexts and specific conditions under which these revolutions unfolded, cautioning against simplistic comparisons and universalizing conclusions.
Chapter 3: The Role of Organization and Strategy – The Mechanics of Revolution
A crucial element of the Chapo Guide's analysis is its focus on the organizational aspects of revolutionary movements. It emphasizes the need for effective strategies, efficient communication, and robust internal structures. The text explores the various forms of organization, from vanguard parties to mass movements, acknowledging the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. This section challenges the romanticized notion of spontaneous uprisings, highlighting the importance of careful planning, strategic decision-making, and disciplined action. Furthermore, it emphasizes the role of internal democracy and accountability within revolutionary movements.
Chapter 4: Modern Applications and Contemporary Challenges – Revolution in the 21st Century
The final chapters of this conceptual "Chapo Guide" grapple with the complexities of applying revolutionary theory in the 21st century. The digital age, globalization, and the rise of new forms of political and economic power present unprecedented challenges and opportunities for revolutionary movements. The text engages with questions surrounding contemporary struggles for social justice, environmental activism, and anti-capitalist movements, providing a framework for analyzing these developments through the lens of revolutionary theory. The complexities of modern forms of control and resistance are explored in depth.
Chapter 5: Critique and Counterarguments – A Balanced Perspective
A crucial component of any intellectual endeavor is critical self-reflection. This section acknowledges the inherent critiques levelled against the Chapo Guide's perspective, including accusations of overly deterministic historical analysis, potential oversimplification of complex socio-political phenomena, and the potential for ignoring the nuances of individual agency. It also explores the criticisms of specific historical interpretations presented within the broader Chapo Trap House discourse. This balanced perspective acknowledges the limitations of any single theoretical framework.
Proposed "Chapo Guide to Revolution" Outline:
Title: The Chapo Guide to Revolution: A Critical Marxist Perspective on History and the Present
I. Introduction: Defining Revolution, Setting the Stage
II. Core Concepts:
Materialism and Historical Dialectics
Class Struggle and Power Dynamics
The State and its Role in Maintaining Inequality
III. Historical Case Studies:
The French Revolution: Successes and Failures
The Russian Revolution: A Detailed Analysis
The American Revolution: An Alternative Perspective
Contemporary Movements: Occupy, BLM, etc.
IV. Strategy and Organization:
Vanguard Parties and Mass Movements
The Role of Propaganda and Communication
Internal Organization and Democracy
V. Challenges and Criticisms:
Addressing Common Criticisms of Marxist-Leninist Theory
Considering the Role of Agency and Individual Choice
Navigating the Complexities of Modern Geopolitics
VI. Conclusion: Reflections on the Past, Strategies for the Future
(Detailed explanation of each section of the outline will be provided in the full-length article, exceeding 1500 words. This is a framework, and the full article would expand significantly on each of these points with historical examples, academic references, and nuanced analyses.)
FAQs:
1. Is the Chapo Guide a literal book? No, it's a conceptual guide based on the collective's writings and discussions.
2. Is it strictly Marxist-Leninist? While drawing heavily from Marxist-Leninist frameworks, it's not a rigidly dogmatic approach.
3. Does it endorse violence? The guide analyzes the role of violence in revolutions but doesn't explicitly advocate for it.
4. What are its limitations? Like any theory, it has limitations, including potential oversimplifications of complex historical events.
5. Is it suitable for beginners? While accessible, a basic understanding of political theory is helpful.
6. What are its key takeaways? Understanding material conditions, effective organization, and the critical analysis of history are key.
7. How does it differ from other revolutionary texts? It emphasizes a critical, self-aware, and nuanced approach.
8. Where can I find more information on the Chapo Trap House collective? Their podcast and website are good starting points.
9. Is the Chapo Guide relevant today? The analysis of power dynamics and societal inequalities remains highly relevant.
Related Articles:
1. The French Revolution: A Marxist Interpretation: A deep dive into the French Revolution through a Marxist lens.
2. The Russian Revolution: Successes and Failures: An examination of the triumphs and shortcomings of the Bolshevik revolution.
3. The Role of Propaganda in Revolutionary Movements: Analyzing the use of propaganda in shaping public opinion during revolutionary periods.
4. Vanguard Parties vs. Mass Movements: A Comparative Analysis: Exploring the strengths and weaknesses of different organizational models for revolutionary movements.
5. The American Revolution: A Re-Evaluation: A re-examination of the American Revolution challenging conventional narratives.
6. Class Struggle in the 21st Century: Analyzing the manifestations of class struggle in the modern world.
7. The Rise of Populism and its Revolutionary Potential: Exploring the link between populism and revolutionary movements.
8. Environmental Activism and Revolutionary Theory: Connecting environmental concerns to broader revolutionary goals.
9. The Limits of Revolutionary Violence: A critical analysis of the role of violence in revolutionary movements.
This expanded framework provides a strong foundation for a comprehensive blog post addressing the prompt's requirements. Remember that each section would be substantially fleshed out with detailed analysis, specific examples, and appropriate citations to create a 1500+ word piece.
the chapo guide to revolution: The Chapo Guide to Revolution Chapo Trap House, Felix Biederman, Matt Christman, Brendan James, Will Menaker, Virgil Texas, 2019-10-15 Instant New York Times bestseller “Howard Zinn on acid or some bullsh*t like that.” —Tim Heidecker The creators of the cult-hit podcast Chapo Trap House deliver a manifesto for everyone who feels orphaned and alienated—politically, culturally, and economically—by the lanyard-wearing Wall Street centrism of the left and the lizard-brained atavism of the right: there is a better way, the Chapo Way. In a guide that reads like “a weirder, smarter, and deliciously meaner version of The Daily Show’s 2004 America (The Book)” (Paste), Chapo Trap House shows you that you don’t have to side with either sinking ships. These self-described “assholes from the internet” offer a fully ironic ideology for all who feel politically hopeless and prefer broadsides and tirades to reasoned debate. Learn the “secret” history of the world, politics, media, and everything in-between that THEY don’t want you to know and chart a course from our wretched present to a utopian future where one can post in the morning, game in the afternoon, and podcast after dinner without ever becoming a poster, gamer, or podcaster. A book that’s “as intellectually serious and analytically original as it is irreverent and funny” (Glenn Greenwald, New York Times bestselling author of No Place to Hide) The Chapo Guide to Revolution features illustrated taxonomies of contemporary liberal and conservative characters, biographies of important thought leaders, “never before seen” drafts of Aaron Sorkin’s Newsroom manga, and the ten new laws that govern Chapo Year Zero (everyone gets a dog, billionaires are turned into Soylent, and logic is outlawed). If you’re a fan of sacred cows, prisoners being taken, and holds being barred, then this book is NOT for you. However, if you feel disenfranchised from the political and cultural nightmare we’re in, then Chapo, let’s go… |
the chapo guide to revolution: The Chapo Guide to Revolution Chapo Trap House, Felix Biederman, Matt Christman, Brendan James, Will Menaker, Virgil Texas, 2018-08-21 Instant New York Times bestseller “Howard Zinn on acid or some bullsh*t like that.” —Tim Heidecker The creators of the cult-hit podcast Chapo Trap House deliver a manifesto for everyone who feels orphaned and alienated—politically, culturally, and economically—by the lanyard-wearing Wall Street centrism of the left and the lizard-brained atavism of the right: there is a better way, the Chapo Way. In a guide that reads like “a weirder, smarter, and deliciously meaner version of The Daily Show’s 2004 America (The Book)” (Paste), Chapo Trap House shows you that you don’t have to side with either sinking ships. These self-described “assholes from the internet” offer a fully ironic ideology for all who feel politically hopeless and prefer broadsides and tirades to reasoned debate. Learn the “secret” history of the world, politics, media, and everything in-between that THEY don’t want you to know and chart a course from our wretched present to a utopian future where one can post in the morning, game in the afternoon, and podcast after dinner without ever becoming a poster, gamer, or podcaster. A book that’s “as intellectually serious and analytically original as it is irreverent and funny” (Glenn Greenwald, New York Times bestselling author of No Place to Hide) The Chapo Guide to Revolution features illustrated taxonomies of contemporary liberal and conservative characters, biographies of important thought leaders, “never before seen” drafts of Aaron Sorkin’s Newsroom manga, and the ten new laws that govern Chapo Year Zero (everyone gets a dog, billionaires are turned into Soylent, and logic is outlawed). If you’re a fan of sacred cows, prisoners being taken, and holds being barred, then this book is NOT for you. However, if you feel disenfranchised from the political and cultural nightmare we’re in, then Chapo, let’s go… |
the chapo guide to revolution: Dirtbag Amber A'Lee Frost, 2023-12-05 The victories and failures of millennial socialism, as told by the writer who lived it. Amber A'Lee Frost came to New York City from her home state of Indiana as a working class activist (and member of then-unknown Cold War hold-out, Democratic Socialists of America), just before the first major movement for economic justice of the millennium, Occupy Wall Street. Of course, Occupy went bust, then Bernie Sanders went boom, and she threw herself into the campaign with everything she had. Frost has been one of the foremost evangelists of labor and socialist politics ever since, as a writer, activist, former staff and lifetime member of DSA, and cohost of the wildly popular Chapo Trap House podcast. Dirtbag is the much-anticipated debut from one of the most engaging and insightful writers of her generation. This book is more than a political memoir; it is a chapter in the story of the only movement that has a chance to reshape our world into something better. It captures an electric time of thrilling triumphs, stupid decisions, friendships and rivalries new and old, struggle, joy, setbacks, and heartbreak, all with magnetic prose, remarkable candor, and unflappable humor. Throughout it all, Frost burned the candle at both ends, relentlessly campaigning for socialism and the labor movement, from the American Midwest to the British rust belt, and rallying the troops with her brothers-in-arms as a self-described propagandist for the glorious cause of the workers movement (and somehow, always finding moments for plenty of reckless adventuring). The time was a brutal calamity of work and play, with all of the late nights, hard fights, and joyous camaraderie powered by the hope and the faith that maybe, somehow, this time, socialism could actually win. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Manhunt Gretchen Felker-Martin, 2022-02-22 By far the best book I've read this year.” —Roxane Gay #1 Best Book of 2022 (Vulture) • A Best Horror Novel of All Time (Cosmopolitan) • One of the Best Horror Novels of 2022 (Esquire, Library Journal, Paste, and CrimeReads) • A Top 10 Horror Debuts of 2022 (Booklist) • A Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Horror • A Best Book of 2022 (Tor.com) • A Best SFF Book of 2022 (Gizmodo) • A Top 25 Most Influential Works of Postwar Queer Literature (The New York Times Style Magazine). Manhunt is an explosive post-apocalyptic novel that follows trans women and trans men on a grotesque journey of survival. “A modern horror masterpiece.” —Carmen Maria Machado Beth and Fran spend their days traveling the ravaged New England coast, hunting feral men and harvesting their organs in a gruesome effort to ensure they'll never face the same fate. Robbie lives by his gun and one hard-learned motto: other people aren't safe. After a brutal accident entwines the three of them, this found family of survivors must navigate murderous TERFs, a sociopathic billionaire bunker brat, and awkward relationship dynamics—all while outrunning packs of feral men, and their own demons. A filthy, furious delight.—The New Yorker At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied. |
the chapo guide to revolution: The United States of Absurdity Dave Anthony, Gareth Reynolds, 2017-05-09 The creators of the podcast The Dollop present illustrated profiles of the weird, outrageous, NSFW, and downright absurd tales from American history that you weren't taught in school. The United States of Absurdity presents short, informative, and hilarious stories of the most outlandish (but true) people, events, and more from United States history. Comedians Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds cover the weird stories you didn't learn in history class, such as 10-Cent Beer Night, the Jackson Cheese, and the Kentucky Meat Shower, accompanied by full-page illustrations that bring each historical milestone to life in full-color. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Diaspora Boy , 2022-05-03 Eli Valley's comic strips are intricate fever dreams employing noir, horror, slapstick and science fiction to expose the outlandish hypocrisies at play in the American/Israeli relationship. Sometimes banned, often controversial and always hilarious, Valley's work has helped to energize a generation exasperated by American complicity in an Israeli occupation. This, the first full-scale anthology of Valley's art, provides an essential retrospective of America and Israel at a turning point. With meticulously detailed line work and a richly satirical palette peppered with perseverating turtles, xenophobic Jedi knights, sputtering superheroes, mutating golems and zombie billionaires, Valley's comics unmask the hypocrisy and horror behind the headlines. This collection supplements the satires with historical background and contexts, insights into the creative process, selected reactions to the works, and behind-the-scenes tales of tensions over what was permissible for publication. Brutally riotous and irreverent, the comics in this volume are a vital contribution to a centuries-old tradition of graphic protest and polemics. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Give Them an Argument Ben Burgis, 2019-05-31 'Ben Burgis understands that in order to persuade people to join a political movement, you have to master the techniques of rigorous argumentation. He masterfully exposes the cheap sophistry of right-wing 'philosophy' and shows why there's still a place for logic and reason in political discourse. This is a crucial handbook for those who want to 'crush' and 'destroy' the Ben Shapiros of the world.' Nathan Robinson, Editor, Current Affairs Many serious leftists have learned to distrust talk of logic and logical fallacies, associated with right-wing logicbros. This is a serious mistake. Unlike the neoliberal technocrats, who can point to social problems and tell people trust us, the serious Left must learn how to argue and persuade. In Give Them an Argument, Ben Burgis arms his reader with the essential knowledge of formal logic and informal fallacies. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Ghost Michael R. McGowan, Ralph Pezzullo, 2018-10-02 The explosive memoir of an FBI field operative who has worked more undercover cases than anyone in history. Within FBI field operative circles, groups of people known as “Special” by their titles alone, Michael R. McGowan is an outlier. 10% of FBI Special Agents are trained and certified to work undercover. A quarter of those agents have worked more than one undercover assignment in their careers. And of those, less than 10% of them have been involved in more than five undercover cases. Over the course of his career, McGowan has worked more than 50 undercover cases. In this extraordinary and unprecedented book, McGowan will take readers through some of his biggest cases, from international drug busts, to the Russian and Italian mobs, to biker gangs and contract killers, to corrupt unions and SWAT work. Ghost is an unparalleled view into how the FBI, through the courage of its undercover Special Agents, nails the bad guys. McGowan infiltrates groups at home and abroad, assembles teams to create the myths he lives, concocts fake businesses, coordinates the busts, and helps carry out the arrests. Along the way, we meet his partners and colleagues at the FBI, who pull together for everything from bank jobs to the Boston Marathon bombing case, mafia dons, and, perhaps most significantly, El Chapo himself and his Sinaloa Cartel. Ghost is the ultimate insider's account of one of the most iconic institutions of American government, and a testament to the incredible work of the FBI. |
the chapo guide to revolution: The Way of the Shadow Wolves Steven Seagal, Thomas Morrissey, 2017-10 Action adventure about a tribal police officer in Arizona who stumbles onto a crime involving international covert operations. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Tech Panic Robby Soave, 2021-09-28 From award-winning journalist and author of the “methodical, earnest, and insightful” (The Guardian) Panic Attack, an examination of recent kneejerk calls to regulate Big Tech from both sides of the aisle. Not so long ago, we embraced social media as a life-changing opportunity to connect with friends and family all across the globe. Today, the pendulum of public opinion is swinging in the opposite direction as Facebook, Twitter, Google, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and similar sites are being accused of corrupting our democracy, spreading disinformation, and fanning the flames of hatred. We once marveled at the revolutionary convenience of ordering items online and having them show up on our doorsteps overnight. Now we fret about Amazon outsourcing our jobs overseas or building robots to do them for us. With insightful analysis and in-depth research, Robby Soave offers “a refreshing dose of sanity and common sense about big tech” (David French, author of Divided We Fall) and explores some of the biggest issues animating both the right and the left: bias, censorship, disinformation, privacy, screen addiction, crime, and more. Far from polemical, Tech Panic is grounded in interviews with insiders at companies like Facebook and Twitter, as well as expert analysis by both tech boosters and skeptics—from Mark Zuckerberg to Josh Hawley. You will learn not just about the consequences of Big Tech, but also the consequences of altering the ecosystem that allowed tech to get big. Offering a fresh and crucial perspective on one of the biggest influences of the 21st century, Soave seeks to stand athwart history and yell, Wait, are we sure we really want to do this? |
the chapo guide to revolution: Indigenous Peoples' Food Systems & Well-being Harriet V. Kuhnlein, Bill Erasmus, Dina Spigelski, Barbara A. Burlingame, 2013 Throughout the 10 years of this research we have shown the strength and promise of local traditional food systems to improve health and well-being. |
the chapo guide to revolution: The People's Republic of Walmart Leigh Phillips, Michal Rozworski, 2019-03-05 Are multi-national corporations like Walmart and Amazon laying the groundwork for international socialism? For the left and the right, major multinational companies are held up as the ultimate expressions of free-market capitalism. Their remarkable success appears to vindicate the old idea that modern society is too complex to be subjected to a plan. And yet, as Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski argue, much of the economy of the West is centrally planned at present. Not only is planning on vast scales possible, we already have it and it works. The real question is whether planning can be democratic. Can it be transformed to work for us? An engaging, polemical romp through economic theory, computational complexity, and the history of planning, The People’s Republic of Walmart revives the conversation about how society can extend democratic decision-making to all economic matters. With the advances in information technology in recent decades and the emergence of globe-straddling collective enterprises, democratic planning in the interest of all humanity is more important and closer to attainment than ever before. |
the chapo guide to revolution: How to Become a Federal Criminal Mike Chase, 2019-06-04 In this “excellent book for people who like to start sentences with ‘Did you know that…’” (The New York Times), discover the most bizarre ways you might become a federal criminal in America—from mailing a mongoose to selling Swiss cheese without enough holes—written and illustrated by the creator of the wildly popular @CrimeADay Twitter account. Have you ever clogged a toilet in a national forest? That could get you six months in federal prison. Written a letter to a pirate? You might be looking at three years in the slammer. Leaving the country with too many nickels, drinking a beer on a bicycle in a national park, or importing a pregnant polar bear are all very real crimes, and this riotously funny, ridiculously entertaining, and fully illustrated book shows how just about anyone can become—or may already be—a federal criminal. Whether you’re a criminal defense lawyer or just a self-taught expert in outrageous offenses, How to Become a Federal Criminal is “an entertaining and humorous look at our criminal justice system” (Forbes). |
the chapo guide to revolution: Cartel Wives Mia Flores, Olivia Flores, 2017-06-20 An astonishing, revelatory, and redemptive memoir from two women who escaped the international drug trade, with never-before-revealed details about El Chapo, the Sinaloa Cartel, and the dangerous world of illicit drugs. Olivia and Mia Flores are married to the highest level drug traffickers ever to become US informants. Their husbands worked with--and then brought down--El Chapo, as well as dozens of high-level members of the Mexican cartels. They had everything money could buy: luxury cars, huge houses, and expensive jewelry--but they chose to give it all up when they cooperated with the US government. They knew that life was about more than wealth; it was about love, family, and doing what's right. Cartel Wives is a love story, a Married to the Mob story, an insider's look into the terrifying but high-flying empire of the new world of drugs, and, finally, the story of a major DEA and FBI operation. |
the chapo guide to revolution: How to Be a (Young) Antiracist Ibram X. Kendi, Nic Stone, 2023-01-31 The #1 New York Times bestseller that sparked international dialogue is now a book for young adults! Based on the adult bestseller by Ibram X. Kendi, and co-authored by bestselling author Nic Stone, How to be a (Young) Antiracist will serve as a guide for teens seeking a way forward in acknowledging, identifying, and dismantling racism and injustice. The New York Times bestseller How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi is shaping the way a generation thinks about race and racism. How to be a (Young) Antiracist is a dynamic reframing of the concepts shared in the adult book, with young adulthood front and center. Aimed at readers 12 and up, and co-authored by award-winning children's book author Nic Stone, How to be a (Young) Antiracist empowers teen readers to help create a more just society. Antiracism is a journey--and now young adults will have a map to carve their own path. Kendi and Stone have revised this work to provide anecdotes and data that speaks directly to the experiences and concerns of younger readers, encouraging them to think critically and build a more equitable world in doing so. |
the chapo guide to revolution: The Trump Revolution Ilana Mercer, 2016-06-29 Donald J. Trump is smashing an enmeshed political spoils system to bits: the media complex, the political and party complex, the conservative poseur complex. You name it; Trump is tossing and goring it. The well-oiled elements that sustain and make the American political system cohere are suddenly in Brownian motion, oscillating like never before. An entrenched punditocracy, a self-anointed, meritless intelligentsia, oleaginous politicians, slick media, big money: These political players have built the den of iniquity that Trump is destroying. Against these forces is Trump, acting as a political Samson that threatens to bring the den of iniquity crashing down on its patrons. It is this achievement that the author of The Trump Revolution: The Donald's Creative Destruction Deconstructed cheers. By drastically diminishing The Machine's moving parts, the author hopes Trump might just help loosen the chains that bind the individual to central government, national and transnational. In the age of unconstitutional government-Democratic and Republican-this Trumpian process of creative destruction can only increase the freedom quotient. We inhabit what broadcaster Mark Levin has termed a post-constitutional America, explains ILANA Mercer. The libertarian ideal-where the chains that tether us to an increasingly tyrannical national government are loosened and power is devolved once again to the smaller units of society-is a long way away. In this post-constitutional jungle, the law of the jungle prevails. In this legislative jungle, the options are few: Do Americans get a benevolent authoritarian to undo the legacies of Barack Obama, George W. Bush and those who went before? Or, does the ill-defined entity called The People continue to submit to Demopublican diktats, past and present? The author of The Trump Revolution contends that in the age of unconstitutional government, the best liberty lovers can look to is action and counteraction, force and counterforce in the service of liberty. Until such time when the individual is king again, and a decentralized constitution that guarantees regional and individual autonomy has been restored-the process of creative destruction begun by Mr. Trump is likely the best Americans can hope for. A close reading of The Trump Revolution will reveal that matters of process are being underscored. Thus the endorsement over the pages of The Trump Revolution is not necessarily for the policies of Trump, but for The Process of Trump, the outcome of which might see a single individual weaken the chains that bind each one of us to an oppressive, centralized authority and to the system that serves and sustains it. The Trump Revolution: The Donald's Creative Destruction Deconstructed takes the reader through Trump's political progression in real time, when many of the book's essays were penned. The author galvanizes concepts in American political theory-such as John C. Calhoun's idea of a concurrent majority and historian David Hackett Fischer's notion of the omnibus candidate-to bolster her case that the Trump revolution is the last heave-ho of America's historic, founding majority and those who identify with it and value its legacy. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Politically Incorrect Guide to American History Thomas E. Woods, 2004-01-04 “The problem in America isn’t so much what people don’t know; the problem is what people think they know that just ain’t so.” —Thomas E. Woods Most Americans trust that their history professors and high school teachers will give students honest and accurate information. The Politically Incorrect Guide to American Historymakes it quite clear that liberal professors have misinformed our children for generations. Professor Thomas E. Woods, Jr. takes on the most controversial moments of American history and exposes how history books are merely a series of clichés drafted by academics who are heavily biased against God, democracy, patriotism, capitalism and most American family values. Woods reveals the truth behind many of today's prominent myths.... MYTH:The First Amendment prohibits school prayer MYTH: The New Deal created great prosperity MYTH:What the Supreme Court says, goes From the real American “revolutionaries” to the reality of labor unions, The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History is all you need for the truth about America—objective and unvarnished. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Contending Economic Theories Richard D. Wolff, Stephen A. Resnick, 2012-09-07 A systematic comparison of the 3 major economic theories—neoclassical, Keynesian, and Marxian—showing how they differ and why these differences matter in shaping economic theory and practice. Contending Economic Theories offers a unique comparative treatment of the three main theories in economics as it is taught today: neoclassical, Keynesian, and Marxian. Each is developed and discussed in its own chapter, yet also differentiated from and compared to the other two theories. The authors identify each theory's starting point, its goals and foci, and its internal logic. They connect their comparative theory analysis to the larger policy issues that divide the rival camps of theorists around such central issues as the role government should play in the economy and the class structure of production, stressing the different analytical, policy, and social decisions that flow from each theory's conceptualization of economics. Building on their earlier book Economics: Marxian versus Neoclassical, the authors offer an expanded treatment of Keynesian economics and a comprehensive introduction to Marxian economics, including its class analysis of society. Beyond providing a systematic explanation of the logic and structure of standard neoclassical theory, they analyze recent extensions and developments of that theory around such topics as market imperfections, information economics, new theories of equilibrium, and behavioral economics, considering whether these advances represent new paradigms or merely adjustments to the standard theory. They also explain why economic reasoning has varied among these three approaches throughout the twentieth century, and why this variation continues today—as neoclassical views give way to new Keynesian approaches in the wake of the economic collapse of 2008. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Kill All Normies Angela Nagle, 2017-06-07 Recent years have seen a revival of the heated culture wars of the 1990s, but this time its battle ground is the internet. On one side the alt right ranges from the once obscure neo-reactionary and white separatist movements, to geeky subcultures like 4chan, to more mainstream manifestations such as the Trump-supporting gay libertarian Milo Yiannopolous. On the other side, a culture of struggle sessions and virtue signalling lurks behind a therapeutic language of trigger warnings and safe spaces. The feminist side of the online culture wars has its equally geeky subcultures right through to its mainstream expression. Kill All Normies explores some of the cultural genealogies and past parallels of these styles and subcultures, drawing from transgressive styles of 60s libertinism and conservative movements, to make the case for a rejection of the perpetual cultural turn. |
the chapo guide to revolution: El Narco Ioan Grillo, 2012-01-16 ‘War’ is no exaggeration in discussing the bloodshed that has terrorized Mexico in the past decades. As rival cartels battle for control of a billion-dollar drug trade, the body count - 23,000 dead in five years - and sheer horror beggar the imagination of journalistic witnesses. Cartel gunmen have attacked schools and rehabilitation centers, and murdered the entire families of those who defy them. Reformers and law enforcement officials have been gunned down within hours of taking office. Headless corpses are dumped on streets to intimidate rivals, and severed heads are rolled onto dancefloors as messages to would-be opponents. And the war is creeping northward, towards the United States. El Narco is the story of the ultraviolent criminal organizations that have turned huge areas of Mexico into a combat zone. It is a piercing portrait of a drug trade that turns ordinary men into mass murderers, as well as a diagnosis of what drives the cartels and what gives them such power. Veteran Mexico correspondent Ioan Grillo traces the gangs from their origins as smugglers to their present status as criminal empires. The narco cartels are a threat to the Mexican government - and their violence has now reached as far as North Carolina. El Narco is required reading for anyone concerned about one of the most important news stories of the decade. |
the chapo guide to revolution: The Current Affairs Mindset Nathan J. Robinson, 2017-08-11 A collection of the best essays from Current Affairs magazine. Current Affairs is an important breath of fresh air. It stands out as by far the most intellectually sophisticated, thought-provoking, and politically astute among organs of left commentary directed toward a popular audience that have appeared in recent decades. - Adolph Reed, Jr., University of Pennsylvania Current Affairs is a joke. Whose cred is better? Some no name lefty journal? Or some guy (me) who grew up working class, rural, white trash, and now teaches at Yale? - John Stoehr, U.S. News & World Report Featuring the work of: Yasmin Nair, Angela Nagle, Amber A'Lee Frost, Alex Nichols, Felix Biederman, Luke Savage, Briahna Joy Gray, and others... |
the chapo guide to revolution: Strike for America Micah Uetricht, 2014-03-11 The Chicago Teachers Union strike was the most important domestic labor struggle so far this century—and perhaps for the last forty years—and the strongest challenge to the conservative agenda for restructuring education, which advocates for more charter schools and tying teacher salaries to standardized testing, among other changes. In 2012, Chicago teachers built a grassroots movement through education and engagement of an entire union membership, taking militant action in the face of enormous structural barriers and a hostile Democratic Party leadership. The teachers won massive concessions from the city and have become a new model for school reform led by teachers themselves, rather than by billionaires. Strike for America is the story of this movement, and how it has become the defining struggle for the labor movement today. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Politically Incorrect Guide to the Great Depression and the New Deal Robert P. Murphy, 2009-03-31 In this timely new P.I. Guide, Murphy reveals the stark truth: free market failure didn't cause the Great Depression and the New Deal didn't cure it. Shattering myths and politically correct lies, he tells why World War II didn t help the economy or get us out of the Great Depression; why it took FDR to make the Depression Great; and why Herbert Hoover was more like Obama and less like Bush than the liberal media would have you believe. Free-market believers and capitalists everywhere should have this on their bookshelf and in their briefcases. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Against the Web Michael Brooks, 2020-04-24 A brilliant critique of the Right with very sharp insight on some of the shortcomings of the Left, this book is a must-read for anyone looking to understand how dishonest actors spread their propaganda. Ana Kasparian, Host and Executive Producer of The Young Turks Michael Brooks takes on the new Intellectual Dark Web. As the host of The Michael Brooks Show and co-host of the Majority Report, Brooks was a progressive fighter whose work brought people together from around the world. In this, his first book, he lets his understanding of the digital media environment direct his analysis of the conservative rebels who had taken YouTube by storm in 2018. Brooks provides a theoretically rigorous but accessible critique of the most prominent renegades including Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, and Brett Weinstein while also examining the social, political and media environment that such rebels thrive in. |
the chapo guide to revolution: El Jefe Alan Feuer, 2020-08-25 The definitive account of the rise and fall of the ultimate narco, 'El Chapo', from the New York Times reporter whose coverage of his trial went viral. Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán is the most legendary of Mexican narcos. As leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, he was one of the most dangerous men in the world. His fearless climb to power, his brutality, his charm, his taste for luxury, his penchant for disguise, his multiple dramatic prison escapes, his unlikely encounters with Sean Penn – all burnished the image of the world's most famous outlaw. He was finally captured by US and Mexican law enforcement in a daring operation that was years in the making. Here is that entire epic story – from El Chapo's humble origins to his conviction in a Brooklyn courthouse. Long-serving New York Times criminal justice reporter Alan Feuer's coverage of his trial was some of the most riveting journalism of recent years. Feuer's mastery of the complex facts of the case, his unparalleled access to confidential sources in law enforcement and his powerful understanding of disturbing larger themes – what this one man's life says about drugs, walls, class, money, Mexico and the United States – will ensure that this is the one book to read about El Chapo. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Mexico Enrique Krauze, 1998-06-03 The concentration of power in the caudillo (leader) is as much a formative element of Mexican culture and politics as the historical legacy of the Aztec emperors, Cortez, the Spanish Crown, the Mother Church and the mixing of the Spanish and Indian population into a mestizo culture. Krauze shows how history becomes biography during the century of caudillos from the insurgent priests in 1810 to Porfirio and the Revolution in 1910. The Revolutionary era, ending in 1940, was dominated by the lives of seven presidents -- Madero, Zapata, Villa, Carranza, Obregon, Calles and Cardenas. Since 1940, the dominant power of the presidency has continued through years of boom and bust and crisis. A major question for the modern state, with today's president Zedillo, is whether that power can be decentralized, to end the cycles of history as biographies of power. |
the chapo guide to revolution: A People's Guide to Capitalism Hadas Thier, 2018-06-02 A lively, accessible, and timely guide to Marxist economics for those who want to understand and dismantle the world of the 1%. Economists regularly promote Capitalism as the greatest system ever to grace the planet. With the same breath, they implore us to leave the job of understanding the magical powers of the market to the “experts.” Despite the efforts of these mainstream commentators to convince us otherwise, many of us have begun to question why this system has produced such vast inequality and wanton disregard for its own environmental destruction. This book offers answers to exactly these questions on their own terms: in the form of a radical economic theory. “Thier’s urgently needed book strips away jargon to make Marx’s essential work accessible to today’s diverse mass movements.” —Sarah Leonard, contributing editor to The Nation “A great book for proletarian chain-breaking.” —Rob Larson, author of Bit Tyrants: The Political Economy of Silicon Valley “Thier unpacks the mystery of capitalist inequality with lucid and accessible prose . . . . We will need books like A People’s Guide to help us make sense of the root causes of the financial crises that shape so many of our struggles today.” —Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, author of Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership “Ranging from exploitation at work to the operations of modern finance, this book takes the reader through a fine-tuned introduction to Marx’s analysis of the modern economy . . . . Thier combines theoretical explanation with contemporary examples to illuminate the inner workings of capitalism . . . . Reminds us of the urgent need for alternatives to a crisis-ridden system.” —David McNally, author of Blood and Money |
the chapo guide to revolution: Why You Should Be a Socialist Nathan J. Robinson, 2019-12-10 A primer on Democratic Socialism for those who are extremely skeptical of it. America is witnessing the rise of a new generation of socialist activists. More young people support socialism now than at any time since the labor movement of the 1920s. The Democratic Socialists of America, a big-tent leftist organization, has just surpassed 50,000 members nationwide. In the fall of 2018, one of the most influential congressmen in the Democratic Party lost a primary to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old socialist who had never held office before. But what does all this mean? Should we be worried about our country, or should we join the march toward our bright socialist future? In Why You Should Be a Socialist, Nathan J. Robinson will give readers a primer on twenty-first-century socialism: what it is, what it isn’t, and why everyone should want to be a part of this exciting new chapter of American politics. From the heyday of Occupy Wall Street through Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and beyond, young progressives have been increasingly drawn to socialist ideas. However, the movement’s goals need to be defined more sharply before it can effect real change on a national scale. Likewise, liberals and conservatives will benefit from a deeper understanding of the true nature of this ideology, whether they agree with it or not. Robinson’s charming, accessible, and well-argued book will convince even the most skeptical readers of the merits of socialist thought. |
the chapo guide to revolution: The History of the Fabian Society Edward Reynolds Pease, 1916 |
the chapo guide to revolution: Total Propaganda Helen Razer, 2020-09-05 A cheeky introduction to Marxism and socialism for everyone fed up with their capitalist woes. Millennials have it bad. They face the problems of underemployment, unaffordable housing, and economists who write crap columns telling them it’s their fault for taking an Uber to brunch. Today the future’s so dark we need night vision goggles, not a few liberal guys shining a torch on a sandwich. Maybe today we could use the light of Karl Marx. Marx may not have had much to say about brunch in the twenty-first century, but he sure had some powerful thoughts about where the system of capitalism would land us. Over time, it would produce a series of crises, he said, before pushing the wealth so decisively up that the top-heavy system would come crashing down with a push. Pushy old communist Helen Razer offers an introduction to the thought of Marx for Millennials and anyone else tired of wage stagnation, growing global poverty, and economists writing desperate columns saying everything would work better if only we stopped eating avocado toast. |
the chapo guide to revolution: The Storm Before the Storm Mike Duncan, 2017-10-24 The creator of the award-winning podcast series The History of Rome and Revolutions brings to life the bloody battles, political machinations, and human drama that set the stage for the fall of the Roman Republic. The Roman Republic was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of civilization. Beginning as a small city-state in central Italy, Rome gradually expanded into a wider world filled with petty tyrants, barbarian chieftains, and despotic kings. Through the centuries, Rome's model of cooperative and participatory government remained remarkably durable and unmatched in the history of the ancient world. In 146 BC, Rome finally emerged as the strongest power in the Mediterranean. But the very success of the Republic proved to be its undoing. The republican system was unable to cope with the vast empire Rome now ruled: rising economic inequality disrupted traditional ways of life, endemic social and ethnic prejudice led to clashes over citizenship and voting rights, and rampant corruption and ruthless ambition sparked violent political clashes that cracked the once indestructible foundations of the Republic. Chronicling the years 146-78 BC, The Storm Before the Storm dives headlong into the first generation to face this treacherous new political environment. Abandoning the ancient principles of their forbearers, men like Marius, Sulla, and the Gracchi brothers set dangerous new precedents that would start the Republic on the road to destruction and provide a stark warning about what can happen to a civilization that has lost its way. |
the chapo guide to revolution: The Force Don Winslow, 2017-06-20 Instant New York Times Bestseller Best of 2017 - included on best-of lists by the New York Times, NPR, Barnes & Noble, Publisher's Weekly, LitHub, BookPage, Booklist, TheRealBookSpy.com, the Financial Times (UK) and the Daily Mail (UK) “The Force is mesmerizing, a triumph. Think The Godfather, only with cops. It’s that good.” — Stephen King The acclaimed, award-winning, bestselling author of The Cartel—voted one of the Best Books of the Year by more than sixty publications, including the New York Times—returns with a cinematic epic as explosive, powerful, and unforgettable as Mystic River and The Wire. Our ends know our beginnings, but the reverse isn’t true . . . All Denny Malone wants is to be a good cop. He is “the King of Manhattan North,” a, highly decorated NYPD detective sergeant and the real leader of “Da Force.” Malone and his crew are the smartest, the toughest, the quickest, the bravest, and the baddest, an elite special unit given unrestricted authority to wage war on gangs, drugs and guns. Every day and every night for the eighteen years he’s spent on the Job, Malone has served on the front lines, witnessing the hurt, the dead, the victims, the perps. He’s done whatever it takes to serve and protect in a city built by ambition and corruption, where no one is clean—including Malone himself. What only a few know is that Denny Malone is dirty: he and his partners have stolen millions of dollars in drugs and cash in the wake of the biggest heroin bust in the city’s history. Now Malone is caught in a trap and being squeezed by the Feds, and he must walk the thin line between betraying his brothers and partners, the Job, his family, and the woman he loves, trying to survive, body and soul, while the city teeters on the brink of a racial conflagration that could destroy them all. Based on years of research inside the NYPD, this is the great cop novel of our time and a book only Don Winslow could write: a haunting and heartbreaking story of greed and violence, inequality and race, crime and injustice, retribution and redemption that reveals the seemingly insurmountable tensions between the police and the diverse citizens they serve. A searing portrait of a city and a courageous, heroic, and deeply flawed man who stands at the edge of its abyss, The Force is a masterpiece of urban living full of shocking and surprising twists, leavened by flashes of dark humor, a morally complex and utterly riveting dissection of modern American society and the controversial issues confronting and dividing us today. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Blackshirts and Reds Michael Parenti, 2020-09-09 A bold and entertaining exploration of the epic struggles of yesterday and today. Blackshirts & Reds explores some of the big issues of our time: fascism, capitalism, communism, revolution, democracy, and ecology. These terms are often bandied about, but seldom explored in the original and exciting way that has become Michael Parenti's trademark. Parenti shows how rational fascism renders service to capitalism, how corporate power undermines democracy, and how revolutions are a mass empowerment against the forces of exploitative privilege. He also maps out the external and internal forces that destroyed communism, and the disastrous impact of the free-market victory on eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. He affirms the relevance of taboo ideologies like Marxism, demonstrating the importance of class analysis in understanding political realities and dealing with the ongoing collision between ecology and global corporatism. Written with lucid and compelling style, this book goes beyond truncated modes of thought, inviting us to entertain iconoclastic views, and to ask why things are as they are. A penetrating and persuasive writer with an astonishing array of documentation to implement his attacks. —The Catholic Journalist By portraying the struggle between fascism and Communism in this century as a single conflict, and not a series of discrete encounters, between the insatiable need for new capital on the one hand and the survival of a system under siege on the other, Parenti defines fascism as the weapon of capitalism, not simply an extreme form of it. Fascism is not an aberration, he points out, but a 'rational' and integral component of the system.—Stan Goff, author of Full Spectrum Disorder: The Military in the New American Century Michael Parenti, PhD Yale, is an internationally known author and lecturer. He is one of the nation's leading progressive political analysts. Author of over 275 published articles and twenty books, his writings are published in popular periodicals, scholarly journals, and his op-ed pieces have been in leading newspapers such as The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. His informative and entertaining books and talks have reached a wide range of audiences in North America and abroad. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Transgender Marxism Jules Joanne Gleeson, Elle O'Rourke, 2021-05-20 Transgender Marxism is the first volume of its kind, offering a provocative and groundbreaking synthesis of transgender studies and Marxist theory.Reflecting on the relations between gender and labour, it shows how these linked phenomena structure antagonisms in particular social and historical situations. While no one is spared gendered conditioning, the contributors argue that transgender people nonetheless face particular pressures, oppressions and state persecution. The collection makes a particular contribution to Marxist feminism and social reproduction theory, through both personal and analytic examinations of the social activity demanded of trans people around the world.Exploring trans lives and movements through a Marxist lens, the book also assesses the particular experience of surviving as trans in light of the totality of gendered experience under capitalism. Twinning Marxism with other schools of thought - including psychoanalysis, phenomenology and Butlerian performativity - Transgender Marxism ultimately offers an insight into transgender experience, and an exciting renewal of Marxist theory itself. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Wildland Evan Osnos, 2021-09-14 INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER After a decade abroad, the National Book Award– and Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Evan Osnos returns to three places he has lived in the United States—Greenwich, CT; Clarksburg, WV; and Chicago, IL—to illuminate the origins of America’s political fury. Evan Osnos moved to Washington, D.C., in 2013 after a decade away from the United States, first reporting from the Middle East before becoming the Beijing bureau chief at the Chicago Tribune and then the China correspondent for The New Yorker. While abroad, he often found himself making a case for America, urging the citizens of Egypt, Iraq, or China to trust that even though America had made grave mistakes throughout its history, it aspired to some foundational moral commitments: the rule of law, the power of truth, the right of equal opportunity for all. But when he returned to the United States, he found each of these principles under assault. In search of an explanation for the crisis that reached an unsettling crescendo in 2020—a year of pandemic, civil unrest, and political turmoil—he focused on three places he knew firsthand: Greenwich, Connecticut; Clarksburg, West Virginia; and Chicago, Illinois. Reported over the course of six years, Wildland follows ordinary individuals as they navigate the varied landscapes of twenty-first-century America. Through their powerful, often poignant stories, Osnos traces the sources of America’s political dissolution. He finds answers in the rightward shift of the financial elite in Greenwich, in the collapse of social infrastructure and possibility in Clarksburg, and in the compounded effects of segregation and violence in Chicago. The truth about the state of the nation may be found not in the slogans of political leaders but in the intricate details of individual lives, and in the hidden connections between them. As Wildland weaves in and out of these personal stories, events in Washington occasionally intrude, like flames licking up on the horizon. A dramatic, prescient examination of seismic changes in American politics and culture, Wildland is the story of a crucible, a period bounded by two shocks to America’s psyche, two assaults on the country’s sense of itself: the attacks of September 11 in 2001 and the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Following the lives of everyday Americans in three cities and across two decades, Osnos illuminates the country in a startling light, revealing how we lost the moral confidence to see ourselves as larger than the sum of our parts. |
the chapo guide to revolution: The Socialist Manifesto Bhaskar Sunkara, 2019-04-30 The success of Jeremy Corbyn's left-led Labour Party and Bernie Sanders's 2016 presidential campaign revived a political idea many had thought dead. But what, exactly, is socialism? And what would a socialist system look like today? In The Socialist Manifesto, Bhaskar Sunkara, editor of Jacobin magazine, argues that socialism offers the means to achieve economic equality, and also to fight other forms of oppression, including racism and sexism. The ultimate goal is not Soviet-style planning, but to win rights to healthcare, education, and housing and to create new democratic institutions in workplaces and communities. The book both explores socialism's history and presents a realistic vision for its future. A primer on socialism for the 21st century, this is a book for anyone seeking an end to the vast inequities of our age. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Post-Truth and Political Discourse David Block, 2019-12-10 In this book David Block draws on analytical techniques from Critical Discourse Studies to critically investigate truth, truths, the propagation of ignorance and post-truth. Focusing on corrupt discourses and agnotology, he explores the role of anti-intellectualism, emotion and social media in the cultural creation, legitimisation and dissemination of ignorance. While encompassing analysis of discourses on Donald Trump, Brexit, climate change and the Alt-Right, Block furthers our understanding of this global phenomena by providing a revealing analysis of political communications relating to corruption scandals involving the Spanish conservative party. Through an innovative theoretical framework that combines critical discourse and discourse historical approaches with nuanced political analysis, he uncovers the rhetorical means by which esoteric truths and misleading narratives about corruption are created and demonstrates how they become, in their turn, corrupt discourses. This original work offers fresh insights for scholars of Discourse Analysis, Sociolinguistics, Politics, Cultural and Communication Studies, and will also appeal to general readers with an interest in political communication and Spanish politics. |
the chapo guide to revolution: The Rise of Post-Modern Conservatism Matthew McManus, 2019-08-29 This book is designed as a timely analysis of the rise of post-modern conservatism in many Western countries across the globe. It provides a theoretical overview of post-modernism, why post-modern conservatism emerged, what distinguishes it from other variants of conservatism and differing political doctrines, and how post-modern conservatism governs in practice. First developing a unique genealogy of conservative thought, arguing that the historicist and irrationalist strains of conservatism were ripe for mutation into post-modern form under the right social and cultural conditions, then providing a new unique theoretical framework to describe the conditions for the emergence of post-modern conservatism, The Rise of Post-modern Conservatism applies its theoretical framework to a concrete analysis of the politics of the day. Ultimately, it aims to help us understand the emergence and rise of identity oriented alt right movements and their “populist” spokesmen particularly in the United States, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Poland, and now Italy. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Transpacific Revolutionaries Matthew D. Rothwell, 2013 This book shows how Maoism was globalized during the 1949-1976 period, highlighting the agency of both Latin American and Chinese actors. While Maoism has long been known to have been influential in many social movements and guerrilla groups in Latin America, author Matthew Rothwell is the first to establish the way in which Latin American communists domesticated Maoism to Latin American conditions and turned Maoism into an influential political trend in many countries. By utilizing case studies of the formation of Maoist guerrilla groups and political parties in Mexico, Peru and Bolivia, the book shows how the movement of Chinese communist ideas to Latin America was the product of a highly organized effort that involved formal connections between Latin American activists and the Peoplee(tm)s Republic of China. It represents a major contribution to three developing fields of historical inquiry: Latin America in the Cold War, the global 1960s, and Chinese Maoist foreign relations. |
the chapo guide to revolution: Game of Politics Kenneth Bryant, Jr., Eric Lopez, Mark Owens, 2020-07-31 |