Escape from Capitalism | Clara Mattei & Richard Wolff

Feb 6, 2026

Richard Wolff, Marxian economist and founder of Democracy at Work, brings sharp, public-facing analysis. He and Clara Mattei discuss how “freedom” masks coercion, how wages, debt, taxes and budgets shape what feels possible. They unpack austerity’s role in protecting elites, imperialism’s extraction, and why building democratic alternatives requires both theory and hands-on organizing.

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INSIGHT

Trump Makes Capitalism's Hidden Violence Visible

Trump amplifies tendencies in capitalism that normally stay hidden behind consensus and liberal rhetoric.
Clara Mattei argues his extremity exposes the system's structural coercion and extraction.

ANECDOTE

Minneapolis Unions Endorse A General Strike

Richard D. Wolff highlights a Minneapolis Central Labor Council vote endorsing a general strike targeting ICE and Trump.
He sees the strike as evidence grievances can accumulate into powerful, unexpected collective action.

INSIGHT

Austerity Is Structural, Not Optional

Austerity isn't an occasional policy choice but a structural requirement to keep the majority disempowered.
Mattei shows austerity shifts resources to protect and incentivize a minority while dismantling social services.

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Economics is political. The “neutral” rules of the economy shape who has power, who gets protected, You can vote, work hard, do everything “right”, and still feel stuck. That’s not a personal failure, it’s how the system is built.In this special episode, economist Clara E. Mattei joins Richard D. Wolff to discuss her new book Escape from Capitalism, and how power hides inside “normal” economic rules, wages, debt, taxes, and public budgets.This is a sharp, accessible conversation about why economics is political, how “freedom” can mask coercion, and what it takes to build real democratic power.In this conversation, Mattei and Wolff unpack:• How “freedom” can hide coercion in everyday life• Why wages, debt, taxes, and public budgets shape what feels possible• How “tight budgets” and cutbacks discipline the majority, while protecting the few• Why blaming “bad leaders” misses the deeper mechanics• Why organizing and new forms of democratic participation matter📚 Get Clara Mattei’s book Escape from Capitalism(US, Simon and Schuster): https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Escape-from-Capitalism/Clara-E-Mattei/9781668085141(UK, Penguin): https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/468201/escape-from-capitalism-by-mattei-clara-e/9780241742181📘 Richard Wolff’s book https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalism🔗 Follow Democracy at Work @democracyatwrk https://www.democracyatwork.info/🔔 Subscribe to FREE (Forum for Real Economic Emancipation) @FreeFreeForum ❤️ Watch, learn more, and join the FREE Forum: https://freefreeforum.org 🌱 Support FREE & Help Us Grow: https://www.freefreeforum.org/donate#EscapeFromCapitalism #ClaraMattei #RichardWolff #PoliticalEconomy #DemocracyAtWork #Economics #Capitalism 🎧 Listen as a Podcast Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/free-with-clara-mattei/id1828302105Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5m5xbrPzTSmdGZFQuZP7ZC▶ Connect with FREELinktree:: https://linktr.ee/FreeFreeForumSubstack: https://freefreeforum.substack.com/X: https://x.com/freefreeforumBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/freefreeforum.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/freefreeforum/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@freefreeforumFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreeFreeForum