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This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

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ISM | Ideas Meet Power

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by Narrative history of ideologies & movements

5.0(2 reviews)

16 episodes

Updated Daily

Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸

Podcast Overview

ISM is a narrative history of the people and places behind the world's most revolutionary ideas: socialism, anarchism, communism, fascism, and beyond. Each season follows an ideology through the moments when it collides with power, shaping cities, movements, and lives. Current Season: The Age of Anarchism — Chicago and the American Labor Revolt Previous Season: The Origins of Socialism — Paris and the Making of Modern Revolution Written and produced by Matt Payne Original musical compositions by Ian Payne <a href="https://ismhistorypodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">ismhistorypodcast.substack.com</a>

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Publishing Since

12/14/2025

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Recent Episodes

June 26, 2026

Chicago 1886: The Fight for the 8-Hour Day (S2E4)

The Haymarket Affair did not begin with a bomb. It began with a movement.In the years before Haymarket, Chicago became the center of a growing labor revolt as workers demanded shorter hours, greater dignity, and more control over their lives. At the heart of that movement stood a small group of radical organizers: Albert and Lucy Parsons, August Spies, Samuel Fielden, Lizzie Holmes, and others, figures whose ideas of anarchism, solidarity, and direct action helped transform the campaign for the eight-hour day into one of the largest labor mobilizations in American history.In this episode, we explore the rise of Chicago's anarchist movement, the spread of the Knights of Labor, the impact of mechanization on skilled workers, and the extraordinary events leading to the first May Day on May 1, 1886.Next: Chicago 1886: The Haymarket AffairWritten and produced by Matt Payne.Support, Subscribe, Read on Substack: <a target="_blank" href="https://ismhistorypodcast.substack.com/">https://ismhistorypodcast.substack.com/</a>Original Musical Compositions by Ian Payne: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jamesianpayne.com/">https://www.jamesianpayne.com/</a>Support the Show: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=CLKDEFJA5MR5U&no_recurring=0&currency_code=USD">PayPal</a>Contact: ismhistorypodcast@gmail.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://ismhistorypodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">ismhistorypodcast.substack.com</a>

June 12, 2026

What is Unionism? Building Power From Below

How can workers build power in an economy dominated by giant corporations and monopolies? To explore that question, we turn to the history of unionism and the rise of the American labor movement during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.In 1905, labor organizers gathered in Chicago to found the Industrial Workers of the World, better known as the Wobblies. Their goal was to unite workers of every trade, skill level, race, nationality, and gender into One Big Union capable of challenging the power of industrial capitalism.In this episode, we trace the origins of that idea through the history of the Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor, Eugene Debs, Big Bill Haywood, Lucy Parsons, Samuel Gompers, and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. Along the way, we explore the central debates that shaped the labor movement: craft versus industrial unionism, reform versus revolution, and the challenge of building working-class power in an economy increasingly dominated by concentrated wealth and corporate power.From Chicago to Spokane, this is the story of revolutionary industrial unionism and the movement that sought to transform not only the workplace, but society itself.This is Season Two—The Age of Anarchism: Chicago and the American Labor RevoltNext: Chicago 1886: The Fight for the Eight-Hour WorkdayWritten and produced by Matt Payne.Support, Subscribe, Read on Substack: <a target="_blank" href="https://ismhistorypodcast.substack.com/">https://ismhistorypodcast.substack.com/</a>Original Musical Compositions by Ian Payne: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jamesianpayne.com/">https://www.jamesianpayne.com/</a>Support the Show: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=CLKDEFJA5MR5U&no_recurring=0&currency_code=USD">PayPal</a>Contact: ismhistorypodcast@gmail.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://ismhistorypodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">ismhistorypodcast.substack.com</a>

May 29, 2026

Chicago 1877: The Great Railroad Strike (S2E2)

The moment when the belief that the United States was immune to class conflict was shattered. In July 1877, railroad workers across the United States stopped work. What began as a wage dispute in a small rail town in West Virginia quickly became the largest labor uprising in American history. Trains sat idle, freight yards were occupied, and entire cities ground to a halt.In Chicago, unemployed workers, socialists, labor organizers, and immigrant communities joined a movement that seemed capable of bringing the nation’s economy to a standstill. In response, business leaders armed private militias, police opened fire on crowds, and federal troops occupied American cities. The violence of 1877 exposed deep divisions between labor and capital and helped lay the foundations of both the modern labor movement and American anarchism.In this episode, we follow the strike from the rail yards of Martinsburg to the streets of Chicago, where Albert and Lucy Parsons first encountered the movement that would transform their lives and American history.This is Season Two—The Age of Anarchism: Chicago and the American Labor RevoltNext: What is Unionism? Building Power From BelowWritten and produced by Matt Payne.Support, Subscribe, Read on Substack: <a target="_blank" href="https://ismhistorypodcast.substack.com/">https://ismhistorypodcast.substack.com/</a>Original Musical Compositions by Ian Payne: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.jamesianpayne.com/">https://www.jamesianpayne.com/</a>Support the Show: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=CLKDEFJA5MR5U&no_recurring=0&currency_code=USD">PayPal</a>Contact: ismhistorypodcast@gmail.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://ismhistorypodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1">ismhistorypodcast.substack.com</a>

16 total episodes available

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Frequently asked questions

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What is ISM | Ideas Meet Power?: ISM is a narrative history of the people and places behind the world's most revolutionary ideas: socialism, anarchism, communism, fascism, and beyond. Each season follows an ideology through the moments when it collides with power, shaping cities, movements, and lives.

Current Season: The Age of Anarchism — Chicago and the American Labor Revolt

Previous Season: The Origins of Socialism — Paris and the Making of Modern Revolution

Written and produced by Matt Payne Original musical compositions by Ian Payne <a href="https://ismhistorypodcast.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast">ismhistorypodcast.substack.com</a>
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.

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