The Communist Party of Great Britain Since 1920

Activism in Isolation: The Tudeh party of Iran in British Left Discourse during the Long 1980s

“…Like many other left-wing parties at the end of the war, the CPGB had gained widespread respectability from its participation in the war and its support of the coalition wartime government. 28 In 1945, party leaders Henry Pollitt and Dutt, now in their fifties, turned away from their earlier goal of violent revolution for Britain, working instead with the Labor party to improve the life of the British working class. 29 The CPGB's shift away from revolutionary politics saw Trotskyists in Britain emerge as the radical arm of the Left.…”

“…52 This era saw the proliferation of organic social movements, focused on human rights, students, women's liberation, workers' rights, Black rights, and trade unions. 53 This burst of energy and activities led to the formation of transnational campaigning groups, birthing a new wave of socialist activism 54 and solidarity platforming, which would become a key driving force of struggle and demonstration. 55 British Left involvement in these trends laid the foundations for interest in Iran and solidarity for their Iranian comrades.…”

“…The miners' strike of 1984-1985 revealed the struggle of British workers under an authoritarian state. 108 Arthur Scargill, president of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), became the public face of Thatcher's opposition, not only regarding the miners but also for ordinary workers. Union rights were suppressed, and unemployment was at an all-time high.…”

British Communists and the 1932 turn to the trade unions

“…16 Eaden and Renton conclude: 'By January 1932, Pollitt had secured agreement from Moscow that "Class against Class" could be modified in respect of the need to win trade union support'. 17 Fuller asserts that Pollitt '..attacked the line at a meeting of the RILU Central Council in Moscow, arguing that the British party needed to mobilise opposition within the trade unions, not to form alternatives. As a result of this the CPGB was given dispensation to adopt its own line'.…”

There is no alternative: Exploring the options in the 1984-5 miners' strike

“…And unlike '72, the Communist Party -by now generally more concerned to operate through the influence of official union channels than to encourage rank-and-file initiative -effectively acted as a force of constraint throughout the strike. The CP was also wracked by its political schism between old-style, 'hard-line Stalinists' and a new 'Euro-Communist' wing, with high-level NUM figures such as Mick McGahey and George Bolton having ideological as well as tactical differences with Scargill (Eaden and Renton, 2002). A national left-wing and organized rank-and-file network within the union was now noticeable by its absence, either to exert pressure on those who had won full-time posts or to provide some direction for the enthusiasm of young militant miners thrown into activity by the strike.…”