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Advocating nuclear war, attempting communication with dolphins and taking an interest in the paranormal and UFOs, there is perhaps no greater (or stranger) cautionary tale for the Left than that of Posadism.
Named after the Argentine Trotskyist J. Posadas, the movement's journey through the fractious and sectarian world of mid-20th century revolutionary socialism was unique. Although at times significant, Posadas' movement was ultimately a failure. As it disintegrated, it increasingly grew to resemble a bizarre cult, detached from the working class it sought to liberate. The renewed interest in Posadism today - especially for its more outlandish fixations - speaks to both a cynicism towards the past and nostalgia for the earnest belief that a better world is possible.
Drawing on considerable archival research, and numerous interviews with ex- and current Posadists, I Want to Believe tells the fascinating story of this most unusual socialist movement and considers why it continues to capture the imaginations of leftists today.
List of contents
List of Illustrations
List of Abbreviations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART I: THE TRAGIC CENTURY
1. Commentaries on the Infancy of Comrade Posadas
2. Revolutionary Youth or Patriotic Youth?
3. The Death Throes of Capitalism
4. The Origins of Posadism
5. Where are we Going?
PART II: THE POSADIST FOURTH INTERNATIONAL
6. The Flying International
7. The Role of Anti-Imperialist and Revolutionary Militants, the Role of Trotskyists, the Program, and Tasks During and After the Atomic War
8. The Macabre Farce of the Supposed Death of Guevara
9. Flying Saucers, the Process of Matter and Energy, Science, the Revolutionary and Working-Class Struggle, and the Socialist Future of Mankind
10. The Accident
11. Hombrecitos
12. Volver
13. What Exists Cannot Be True
14. Arrival of Comrade Homerita to the House
PART III: NEO-POSADISM
15. Historical Sincerity
16. Why Don't Extraterrestrials Make Public Contact?
17. UFOs to the People
18. On the Function of the Joke and Irony in History
Timeline
Notes
Index
About the author
A.M. Gittlitz is a journalist and social critic based in Brooklyn, New York. He has contributed to The New Inquiry, The New York Times, The Outline, Baffler, Real Life, Salon, and Vice.
Summary
Aliens, nuclear war and talking dolphins; this book is a study of the weird and wonderful world of the Posadists
