Radical Trade Unionism in Britain, 1921-1991 - Key Data

From its inception in 1920, the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was intimately involved in trade unionism in Britain. From entryism to election rigging and radical education of workers to support for legitimate industrial action, the CPGB took to trade unionism with particular zest and determination. This collection is comprised of material from the CPGB’s Industrial Department, which sought to organise the party’s strategy in relation to trade unions and industry.

Trade unions were one of the most fertile grounds for the CPGB and, as such, the collection demonstrates the outsized influence the CPGB held at various points in the twentieth century. This includes material from the revolutionary minded National Minority Movement of the 1920s, the destabilising infiltration of unions during the 1970s, and the fierce clashes with Thatcherism during the 1980s.

This collection is accompanied by three contextual essays written by Professor Kevin Morgan.