you then choose to do a biography on karl marx and his life and it seems like a leap. how did one, after doing biographies, to people about whom there can be i'm sure very few biographies. how did you jump to someone about whom there are of least a dozen biographies if not more in the english language alone -- >> guest: exactly. >> host: -- and someone who is, of course, much more controversy all character give the people you build with your first two books? so again, you begin to answer this but i would like to get more about marx because it's like a strange choice coming out of the first two books the ehud. >> guest: it is strange coming out of those, although i actually built -- the idea that directed me to those biographies of the sisters and victoria is that they were significant in their area and it had been written out of history. the cohen sisters were along the first collectors of modern art in the united states, it was the cost elements and they had been written out of that collecting history largely because gertrude stein had a falling out with one of the si

and then choose to a biography on karl marx's life and it seems like kind of a leap. how did one after doing biographies to people about whom there can be unsure very few biographies, how did you jump to someone about whom there are at least a dozen or atrophies if not with english language alone and someone who is of course a much more controversial character and the people you dealt with in your first two books. you begin to answer this, but i'd like to get a little bit more about why marx because that is a strange choice coming out of the first two books either. >> is a strange choice although i actually will -- the idea that those two biographies if there were significant in their areas and have reread out of history. but colin sisters were among the first collect ursa modern art in those movements. and they have been not that collecting history largely because kercher stein had a falling out with one of the sisters who is your mother. so when she wrote the autobiography, she was erased, not to offend alice. the second one, the tory woodhall was an early feminist

shopping done, it's back to her flat on karl marx street, where there are plenty of bill's waiting to be paid. heating and electricity are the most expensive. like most russian ventures, she has no savings. she lives a from tension to pension. >> if the pension runs out, i tried to borrow from friends. but there are other problems here like medical care. when you call for an ambulance, it doesn't always come. they ask you on the phone how old are you. you are over 70, they say goodbye granny. >> this is the pension she gets every month -- just under one- third is spent on utility bills. she spends as much on madison, this on her telephone calls. she says she cannot afford a telephone anymore and says she will get rid of it. that leaves about $130 to spend on food, clothes and everything else she needs to get by. when life gets her down, she then serve frustration through her poems. she has written hundreds of them. >> the people in power promised paradise on a plate but they did not deliver and now it's too late. >> this russian pensioner is not expecting elections to make life better

. >> you are reminded that karl marx said that capitalism would eventually so this is of its own destruction see the $70 million bonuses on wall street and one guy created his own hedge fund and made $200 million, something is clearly wrong with the capitalist system. >> h.g. wells >> i feel i am in an intergalactic temporal times on. >> you are. >> h. g. wells said, and he was wrong, that capitalism would perish in the face of socialism because socialism was a system and capitalism was not a system. >> what we are practicing today is not democratic capitalism . >> no, i can get more and tough on you. >> let's go back to the tea party vs occupy wall street -- what you see on both sides is this kind of in articulated anger and anxiety about the way things are. with the tea party, they attach themselves to the republican party which was flagging in energy and enthusiasm. there was a deal made, a bargain, that in some ways the republican party is regreting and i don't know the democrats will go down the same road with occupy wall street. >> linda, give me a high note or loan note. >> my high no

. >> host: you then choose to do a biography on karl marx and his wife -- >> guest: yes. [laughter] >> host: it seems like kind of a leap. >> guest: yeah, it is. >> host: how did one after doing biographies on two people about whom there can be, i'm sure, very few biographies -- >> guest: right. >> host: how did you jump to someone about whom there are at least a dozen biographies -- >> guest: if not more. >> host: in the english language alone -- >> guest: exactly. >> host: and someone who is a much more controversial character than the people in your first two books? again, you began to answer this, but i'd like to get a little more about why marx because he seems like a strange choice coming out of the first two books you did. >> guest: it is a strange choice, although i actually built -- the idea that directed me to those two biographies is that they were significant in their areas and had been written out of history. the cohen sisters were among the first collectors of modern art in the united states, european modern art, that is picasso and those movements. and they

social democracy or i would say with the original rather democratic radically democratic aims of karl marx and mark do you think that. a bit provocative you did glasnost and perestroika destroy the communist party of the soviet union. i'd have to say of the two glasnost destroyed the communist party the soviet union the commons party the soviet union was built as an instrument basically to control the state and to control the public sphere and once you opened up the public sphere that the communist party really couldn't control it that the debates that tore the communist party apart were essentially over the impact of glasnost now a lot of people talk about the economy and how the economy and economic competition destroyed the communist party there is some truth in that in that but i think that that really wasn't the central element of what happened in fact i think the soviet union could have survived for a long time and had no no pressing economic crisis what it had was a legitimacy crisis. and that's where. you know glasnost came in. you know when sure noble occurred for instance that it

known feminist from the mid to late part of the 19th century and you choose to do a biography on karl marx's life and it seems kind of a leap. >> guest: yes. >> host: how did one -- after doing biographys on two people -- about whom there can be i'm sure very few biographies, how did you jump to someone about whom there are a dozen biographies if not more in the english language alone. >> guest: exactly. >> host: and someone who is, of course, a controversial character than the people you dealt with in your first two books? you began to answer it but i'd like to get a little more why marx because it's strange coming out of the first two books that you did? >> guest: it's a strange place although i actually built -- the idea that attracted me to those two biographies are the kahn and the woodhall they were written out of history. the cohen sisters were the first collectors of modern art, european modern art, picasso and matisse and they had been written out of that collecting history largely but gertrude stein had a falling out with one of her sisters. so when she wrote the biography she was

in love and capital mary san gabriel looks at the life of karl marx, his wife jenny and the revolution that changed the world. gilad sharon talks about the military life and political career of his father and live sunday, three hours in depth with ben mezrich his accidental billionaires was the basis for the film the social network and the latest is filled with is a safe filled with stolen moon rocks. follow the schedule online on booktv.org. >> and now from the eleventh annual national book festival on the national mall here in washington, biographer edmond morris presents his book "colonel roosevelt." .. >> many years ago there was a tree in front of their house on second street, back in a city of washington was determined to cut down. edman was so determined it not be cut down that he climbed the tree and wrapped his arms around it and said shoot if you must, this old gray head, but spare my favorite tree, he said. [laughter] >> he does not need an introduction. he is now conclude after three debt going to work the monument biographical studies of american literature, third volume i

karl marx wrote capital in fourth outlines which never finish in which are virtually unreadable. when he was asked what he wrote such a long poker he said because i didn't have time to write a short one. this book i've written is quite short, it took me three years to write and a lifetime to gain the understanding i tried to communicate in these pages. the book itself began when i picked up a copy of the meditations of marcus, which is a book that i remembered from my father's bookshelf. which he had just kept from college. it was not a book as i will explain shortly that he would have wanted to read as an adult or would have liked or learned from. marcus was the 19th emperor of rome. he was the emperor and gladiator, he was by all accounts a good man. he was also a philosopher. not a formal one. he took notes to himself. these notes were found in the middle ages by monks who saw in them a prefiguring of their own faith, and they gave them the title that we know them by, the meditations of marcus. marcus was a historic, kind of a hyper realistic view of life and, therefore, somew

sounds like karl marx.rom each according to his ability to each according to his need and that sounds fair. they nearly starved. it is the tragedy of the common. when people can get the same stuff by working less they will. plymouth settlers faked illness rather than work the common property. the harvest was meager and for two years there was famine. they dropped the commons idea. william grad ford they should set corn every man for h his own particular assign to every family a parcel of land. the results were are dramatic. this had very good success and made all hands very in dusttrious. much more corn was planted. instead of famine, plenty. thanks to private property they got food and we have food, happy thanksgiving. be thankful. if only more people realized it is private property that allows to us have wealth tortion create wealth. some people in the privatized park understood that private ownership does good thing. >> private ownership or public. >> private. >> private. >> i think they run things bette

. >> this weekend, "in love and capital," the life of karl marx and his wife and the revolution thatnged the world. also, the military and political career of the former israeli prime minister ariel sharon and live sunday, three hours with ben masrecht. his latest follows a book on stolen moon rocks. find a complete schedule online @ book-tv.org. >> i think reading the right books is usually helpful by reading a wrong book can be an education as well like seeing a bad movie. >> "cleopatra" author has advice for would-be authors. she spent time as an editor at simon and schuster. >> editors are very desperate for a new book to publish an exciting new author. there should be hope for what is yet to be done. >> more on sunday night on "q &a." >> every weekend, the people and events that document the american story. this weekend, white house curator william allman on decorative find out rarely -- fine arts rarely seen outside the white house. and from the civil war, an author on historical fiction. from the film vault, the goldwater for president committee follows barry goldwater as the

. >> host: as you well know, karl marx was in london at this time writing dispatchers now and then forthe new york tribune commenting on the american civil war. did you find any of marx's rating of particular interest in any of these questions? >> guest: i did because first of all he wanted to make slavery point. he also criticized the north, which he did from time to time. he definitely felt during the trent affair that this is really a result of the secretary of state's poor leadership. but sometimes he would be way off base because he wasn't always in touch because of the elite opinion was seen in london. >> host: what about abraham lincoln? he plays a subordinate role this book. seward is it much more prominent figure from the american illustration. did lincoln affect the foreign policy? had plenty of other things to worry about obviously. what is your assessment of lincoln and his take on diplomatic affairs? or did he really say look, this is stuart spellman i'm leaving it to him. >> guest: i really think that is the case. there was a couple times but he did interfere. the first t

under the tussled, boyish haircut is still old karl marx, reagan wrote, first launched a century ago. there is nothing new in the idea of a government being big brother to us all. switching his registration to the republican party in 1962, reagan began to map out the political career that would eventually carry him to the white house. the same year, kennedy signed executive order 10988 which allowed millions of federal workers to join unions and to bargain with the u.s. government over some of the conditions of their work. kennedy's order inspired many states and localities to also allow their workers to join unions and bargain collectively, prompting a massive wave of unionization across all levels of government in the 1960s and '70s. it was the kennedy order that cleared the way for a union-organizing drive among air traffic controllers. among them, maher and his co-founder of patco, mike rock. an organizing drive that would culminate in the founding of patco in 1968 in a hotel room only 10 miles from the site to have mid-air collision that had started the organizing eight years ear

. >> this weekend on "after words" on booktv, mary gabriel, looks at karl marx, his wife jenny and gilad sharon looks at the career of his father. and live sunday three hours on in-depth his accidental billionaires was for the film the social network and the latest fills with a safe full of stolen moon rocks. booktv every weekend on c-span2. >> energy secretary steven chu this week said global competition in generating renewable energy and he says america needs a comprehensive alternative policy. this is 45 minutes. >> a logjam on capitol hill for energy and climate legislation. today, on a day when we've gathered many of the most influential thinkers our country has on energy, all in this room, the conversation is quite different than the focus. today the focus is on the economy, lifting it, creating jobs and using technological advances in the energy field to help do that. the watch words are clean energy, smarter uses of energy and energy efficiency. individual consumers and business owners want the -- their bills or their homes and for their offices and factories reduced and they wan

so many other characters in your book, like karl marx and frederick ingalls. ory and try to explain how they had to develop their ideas, too. >> right. i had a lot of fun with marx and inning gals because, again, look, all these people that i write about -- there are dozens of biographies, and i don't -- i'm not pretending to come up with great new original facts or insights. but, again, i never realized that karl marx never went -- darkened the door of a factory. >> that is one of the most shocking details. the fact he was writing, was entirely cut off, and inning gals did all the hard work. >> that's right. literally. the one job -- he was also the world's biggest slacker because the one job he held in england, which is constantly being described in glowing terms -- he was columnist, supposedly, for the new york herald. and until the civil war. and it turns out that ingalls goes through every one. now, the other thing that blew me away is that marx's income, which came largely from inheritances, and, of course, from his guardian angel, ingalls, put him in the

. >> this weekend, married gabriel looks at the life of karl marx and a revolution that changed the worldmilitary and political career of his father, the former is really prime minister. on sunday, three hours on "in depth." book tv every weekend on c- span2. find the complete schedule online at booktv.org. >> i think reading the books are helpful. it is like seeing a bad movie. is good to see what was done wrong. >> a cleopatra author has advice for riders. g1 a pulitzer prize and spent time as a senior editor -- she won a pulitzer prize and spent time as a senior editor. >> there should be enormous hope for what is yet to be done. >> more sunday night on c-span's "q & a." >> next, we will hear from senators joe lieberman, susan collins, and scott brown. the measure involves keeping -- >> -- and secure its financial health into the future. we are introducing this legislation today and planned to market it out before the government will affairs committee meeting next wednesday. five years ago, senator collins and harper left congress in the adoption of postal reform legislation. they have