James Squires (Sheffield Hallam) on the CPGB, anti-militarism and pacifism after the First World War

My PhD researches the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) and its relationship with anti-militarist and pacifist ideas from the First World War. The thesis reassesses the political development of the CPGB by focusing on the conscientious objector cohort that joined the Party following its formation in 1920. I explore the impact of the 1917 Russian Revolutions on the largest anti-war group, the No-Conscription Fellowship … Continue reading James Squires (Sheffield Hallam) on the CPGB, anti-militarism and pacifism after the First World War

Labour History Review index 2023

The three issues of Labour History Review published in 2023 have now been indexed and the index is available on the website. The update provides separate Word and PDF documents for volume 88, and includes an update to the consolidated Excel spreadsheet which now covers volumes 55 to 88 (1990-2023) inclusive. Labour History Review index. Access to the LHR index is available without charge. Find … Continue reading Labour History Review index 2023

E.P. Thompson at 100: Halifax event, 3 February 2024

On Saturday 3 February 2024, historian and political activist Edward Palmer Thompson would have turned 100 – had he not passed away in 1993. Meanwhile, the year 2023 also marked the 60th anniversary of the publication of Thompson’s magnum opus, The Making of the English Working Class, commemorated by a set of essays broadcast on Radio Three. The responses to the Radio Three essays demonstrates that there is still … Continue reading E.P. Thompson at 100: Halifax event, 3 February 2024

Researching an oral history of the New Left

Do you have memories of the New Left? Andrew Whitehead would like to hear from you. The New Left was a strand in British radicalism which distanced itself from both Stalinism and social democracy and proved to be an enduring and influential part of the left. It emerged in 1956, the year of Khruschev’s ‘secret’ speech denouncing Stalin’s cult of personality, as well as of the … Continue reading Researching an oral history of the New Left

Ten labour history anniversaries in 2024

The American historian William M Johnston talked in his book Celebrations about a ‘cult’ of anniversaries. And he noted how they provide an opportunity – or excuse – to mark the passage of time in ways that help communities to build and sustain a sense of identity. For many in the labour movement, there could be no bigger anniversary in 2024 than the centenary of … Continue reading Ten labour history anniversaries in 2024

Labour History Review Volume 88 (2023), issue 3

Labour History Review Volume 88 (2023), Issue 3 has now been published. The journal appears both in hard copy and online formats. Through here role as Chief Woman Officer, Marion Phillips was already a significant figure in the Labour Party when she became Sunderland’s first female MP in 1929. In this issue of Labour History Review, Sarah Hellawell argues that Phillips’ relatively brief time as … Continue reading Labour History Review Volume 88 (2023), issue 3

How British was Larkinism? Big Jim Larkin and the British Labour Movement, 1907–1914

Author: Emmet O’ConnorThis is the abstract of an article published in Labour History Review (2023), 88, (3), 199-219. Read more. Born in Liverpool in 1874, Big Jim Larkin always insisted that he was Irish. No historian has ever challenged him on the claim, or seen him as anything other than a uniquely Irish figure. And yet there was a British dimension to Larkin’s outlook. Liverpool gave him a … Continue reading How British was Larkinism? Big Jim Larkin and the British Labour Movement, 1907–1914

‘Sunderland Has Lost a Figure That Will Go Down in History’: Marion Phillips in the North East of England, 1923–1932

Author: Sarah HellawellThis is the abstract of an article published in Labour History Review (2023), 88, (3), 221-243. Read more. Selected as the Labour Party’s chief woman officer in 1918, Dr Marion Phillips played a prominent role in the British labour women’s movement before, during and after the Great War. However, her brief stint as Labour MP for Sunderland between 1929 and 1931 has not attracted the same … Continue reading ‘Sunderland Has Lost a Figure That Will Go Down in History’: Marion Phillips in the North East of England, 1923–1932

Of Red Flags and Red Dragons: Welsh Labour History in Retrospect and Prospect

Author: Martin WrightThis is the abstract of an article published in Labour History Review (2023), 88, (3), 245-272. Read more. Welsh labour historiography has been dominated by the history of the south Wales miners, with the north Wales quarrymen occupying second place, and other groups of workers having received less attention. This is partly due to the dominant assumptions of labour historians which are tied up with ideas … Continue reading Of Red Flags and Red Dragons: Welsh Labour History in Retrospect and Prospect