John Taylor draws on the research behind his two books on conscientious objection in the London borough of Southwark to tell the story of the men and women who resisted the first world war Continue reading Against the tide, against the war: conscientious objection in South London, 1914-1918
David Hanson reflects on the political trajectory of a firebrand would-be Labour MP whose early radical ambitions were set out during his first foray into electoral politics in 1895 James Ramsay MacDonald fought his first parliamentary election in 1895. The Independent Labour Party had been founded just two years earlier, and though not a founder member, MacDonald had joined early on after gaining political experience … Continue reading Radical ambition: Ramsay MacDonald and the 1895 general election
As a school leaver, Keith Laybourn was told, “Don’t be too ambitious”. This year, the SSLH President marks thirty years as a professor and fifty as an academic at the University of Huddersfield. We asked him about a lifetime in labour history Continue reading Fifty years a labour historian: SSLH President Keith Laybourn on half a century at Huddersfield University
Two men sit facing one another, rival socialist newspapers in hand as they debate the issues of the day. Clues in the picture have more to tell us about it, and about the political differences between the Labour Leader and the Clarion. But the reason it was taken remains a mystery. Continue reading The Labour Leader and the Clarion: rival socialist newspapers in the Edwardian era
Society for the Study of Labour History 