The cause for Welsh and Scottish devolution, 1967–1977

John Gollan (1911-1977) was a political leader and communist activist in Britain during the 20th century. Gollan joined the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) in 1926 following his involvement in the General Strike of the same year. A close apprentice and confidante of Harry Pollitt, he was seen as the most appropriate and able person to take over his crucial role of General Secretary in 1956.

Gollan’s leadership became characterised by crises in both the international communist movement and in his party back home. His and others’ apologist attitude for the Soviet Union’s interventions in Hungary (1956) and Czechoslovakia (1968) caused reputational damage to the CPGB and sowed deep divisions in the very fabric of the party. This collection, drawn from Gollan’s personal papers, attests to the slow decline of the CPGB as it increasingly lurched from firefighting international controversies to domestic irrelevance.

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

Material covering developments in the Communist Party of Great Britain during Gollan’s time in the party, including a campaign on the press, industrial action in Britain, and on the ‘Common Market’ and European Economic Community.

Contains a range of manuscript notes, typescript reports on the growing cause for devolution to Scotland and Wales (including from the Scottish and Welsh Trade Union Congress), pamphlets, a draft report for the executive committee, newspaper cuttings (including a speech by Hugh Wyper) and a document by the Scottish National Union of Students.