British Communism at Home and Abroad, 1883-1991

Home
Series
British Communism at Home and Abroad, 1883-1991

What's Inside

The Soviet Union 1970 CPA 3964 stamp of Harry Pollitt

Introduction

Communism was one of the defining political and economic ideologies of the 20th century. This series charts its rise and fall through the eyes of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), allowing scholars to study how communist leaders and activists tried to influence, and were in turn influenced by, events and opinion both at home and abroad.

According to Professor Kevin Morgan of the University of Manchester, the party's archive is "one of the outstanding national collections for the political history of the British left."

Commencing in the late 19th century, this series explores the early activities of the labour movement, which led to the formation of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) in 1920. From that point, the series traces the numerous activities of the party's leading bodies through meticulously preserved notes taken at meetings by leading party officials. In addition, there are extensive records of central departments such as the Industrial Department, which dealt with the trade union activities, and the International Department, which maintained links with communist parties overseas.