About

A schism is a division that usually occurs between a group of people that belong to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss what a political schism is, why they may happen, and then they discuss some that have occurred in history. They cover a range of schisms that go back centuries, these include - The Great Schism of 1054 (or the East-West Schism) which was the break between the western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. This highlighted the cultural and ethnic tensions between the Western and Eastern Roman Empire. It also paved the way for other religious schisms like the Protestant Reformation.    The 1970’s ideological shift in the GOP in which the libertarian, anti-government/anti-regulation views from people like Frederich Hayek hijacked certain segments of the Republican Party. During this time, the GOP went from a moderate, center right party that believed in the efficacy of government programs, to a “don’t tread on me” based movement that felt all government regulation led to tyranny and that government was destined to fail. This paved the way for neoliberal economic values and a growing cultural conservatism that felt at odds with secular politics. Eventually this led to Newt Gingrich and Ted Cruz who turned politics into a “forever war” with no legislation, just new scapegoats.    The Spanish Civil War which seemed to symbolize the growing clash in Europe between rising nationalism and rising socialism. The war heated up fast, pitting neighbors and families against one another. The wealthier, religious class, supported right-wing nationalism with fascist tendencies, while the peasants and working class aligned more with the socialist republicans. To this day, there are still ghosts that remain in Spain from this bloody time.