Class or Nation

The size of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) belied its influence; many saw it as a microcosm of the communist-capitalist struggle. It had a powerful presence in British society despite being a minority movement. Based upon newly available sources Neil Redfern re-examines the movement and its relationship to imperialism. He traces the history of British communism from its gradualist roots and finds that despite World War I the 1917 revolution and mass movements in Asia Africa and Latin America CPGB remained Euro-centred and reformist rather than revolutionary even supporting the post-1945 Labour government.