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British Communism at Home and Abroad, 1883-1991

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The Archives of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) Trial Series

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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.

Dates Covered

1883-1997

Contributors

  • Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain

Collections

A black and white image of Harry Pollitt, General Secretary of the British Communist Party, speaking to large crowds gathered below a podium.

Licensed to access Agitation and the Internal Politics of British Communism, 1907-1977

Contributor: Contents: 53 Volumes, 156 Documents (14,992 Pages)
This collection is derived from the personal papers of one of the titans of British communism, Harry Pollitt. Born in...
A black and white image of a crowd of people cheering and clapping their hands above their heads.

Licensed to access British Communism in Campaigns and Events, 1947-1991

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 1 Volumes, 7 Documents (824 Pages)
This collection contains documents relating to discrete campaigns and events organised by the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) during...
A black and white photo of the Friedrich Engels statue in Manchester.

Licensed to access British Communism through Committee Work, 1926-1992

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 12 Volumes, 31 Documents (5,098 Pages)
The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) spawned many different committees throughout its turbulent lifetime. This collection contains the papers...
The monument to the Soviet writer Maxim Gorky. The statue is of Maxim Gorky sat down holding a walking stick.

Licensed to access Communism and Popular Culture in the 20th Century

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 18 Volumes, 155 Documents (26,538 Pages)
Ivor Montagu (1904-1984) was best known for his work as a filmmaker, scriptwriter, and producer. He was also a trained...
The monument to Vladimir Mayakovsky in Moscow on Mayakovsky Square. A statue of Vladimir Mayakovsky stood looking to the right.

Licensed to access Communism, Culture and Society in the 20th Century

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 23 Volumes, 145 Documents (20,108 Pages)
This collection contains documents compiled by the Communist Party of Great Britain’s (CPGB) National Cultural Committee. The National Cultural Committee...
A black and white image of John Gollan giving a speech into microphones.

Licensed to access Communism in Crisis in Britain and Abroad, 1931-1979

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 6 Volumes, 54 Documents (8,567 Pages)
John Gollan (1911-1977) was a political leader and communist activist in Britain during the 20th century. Gollan joined the Communist...
Worker and Kolkhoz Woman monument, Moscow, modern-day Russia

Licensed to access Communisms and the Cold War, 1944-1986

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 10 Volumes, 178 Documents (14,393 Pages)
This collection contains reports and other records compiled by the Communist Party of Great Britain's (CPGB) International Department between 1944 and...
Statue of Marx and Engels.

Licensed to access Debate and Division on the British Left, 1917-1964

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 3 Volumes, 12 Documents (1,220 Pages)
John Thomas (J.T.) Murphy and Molly Murphy (née Morris) were a married couple who were prominent members of the Communist Party...
A black and white image of US President John F. Kennedy and First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) Nikita Khrushchev meeting and shaking hands in Vienna.

Licensed to access Democratic Centralism during the Cold War, 1943-1991

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 43 Volumes, 288 Documents (28,312 Pages)
Modelled on the Soviet Union’s Central Committee, the Executive Committee (EC) functioned as one of the highest organs of the Communist...
The Motherland Calls, the compositional centre of the monument-ensemble

Licensed to access Gender, Feminism, and the British Left, 1944-1991

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 9 Volumes, 38 Documents (6,247 Pages)
This collection contains records compiled by the Communist Party of Great Britain's (CPGB) Women's Department during the period 1944–1991. These...
An image of the monument to Karl Marx in Moscow city centre.

Licensed to access Marxist History and Historians in the 20th Century

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 8 Volumes, 57 Documents (11,218 Pages)
Dona Ruth Anne Torr (1883–1957) was a Marxist historian, translator, and activist. Despite being born into an aristocratic family, Torr...

Licensed to access Notable Individuals of British Communism, 1886-1997

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 18 Volumes, 92 Documents (23,290 Pages)
At its peak, the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) had tens of thousands of dedicated activists fighting to bring...
A black and white image of a Lenin statue.

Licensed to access Policymaking and Revolutionary Politics, 1924-1991

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 48 Volumes, 418 Documents (22,348 Pages)
The Political Committee of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was a subsidiary of the Executive Committee. It was...

Licensed to access The Political Culture of British Communism, 1920-1991

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 36 Volumes, 265 Documents (33,513 Pages)
National Congress was the supreme decision-making body of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). Congress delegates from across the Party’s...

Licensed to access Political Programmes of British Communism, 1944-1990

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 14 Volumes, 64 Documents (10,869 Pages)
The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) created several commissions that aimed to construct political programmes in response to social,...
A black and white image of workers on strike, holding up posters and marching.

Licensed to access Radical Trade Unionism in Britain, 1921-1991

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 9 Volumes, 124 Documents (19,083 Pages)
From its inception in 1920, the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was intimately involved in trade unionism in Britain....
A black and white picture of the monument to Yuri Gagarin in Moscow. Yuri Gagarin was the first person to travel in space and the monument is a titanium statue on a 42.5-meter high pedestal.

Licensed to access Science and Marxism, 1956-1985

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 5 Volumes, 27 Documents (3,782 Pages)
William Wainwright (1908–2000) was a British communist activist and member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). During his...
Lady Justice statue at the Old Bailey, Central Criminal Court

Licensed to access Trade Unions in Crisis: the 1961 ETU Ballot-Rigging Scandal

Contributor: Archive Trust of the Communist Party of Great Britain Contents: 1 Volumes, 40 Documents (2,787 Pages)
The ETU ballot-rigging trial was a case brought to the High Court by prominent union members John Thomas Byrne and...
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