The Lost World of British Communism

by Raphael Samuel, Alison Light (Preface by)

Overview

A fascinating account of life as a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain

The Lost World of British Communism is a vivid account of the Communist Party of Great Britain. Raphael Samuel, one of post-war Britain’s most notable historians, draws on novels of the period and childhood recollections of London’s East End, as well as memoirs and Party archives, to evoke the world of British Communism in the 1940s. Samuel conjures up the era when the movement was at the height of its political and theoretical power, brilliantly bringing to life an age in which the Communist Party enjoyed huge prestige as a bulwark for the struggles against fascism and colonialism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784780418
Publisher:	Verso Books
Publication date:	01/31/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Raphael Samuel (1934–1996) taught History at Ruskin College, Oxford, and was a founding editor of History Workshop Journal. His works include Theatres of Memory and Island Stories, also from Verso. For more information about his work, see the Raphael Samuel History Centre and Archive online.

Table of Contents

Preface Alison Light vii

Part 1 The Lost World, of British Communism 1

I The Waning of Collectivity 3

II Right-Wing Communism 18

III Metaphysical Space 45

IV Family Communism 59

Part 2 Staying Power 77

I The Will to Unity 79

II The Disciplines of Organization 100

III The Vocation of Leadership 121

IV The Cunning of Survival (Fragment) 139

Part 3 Class Politics 157

I The War of Ghosts 159

II Metaphors of Class 164

III Moral Elitism 184

IV Workerism 203

Appendix-Bibliography 221

Editorial Reviews

An unparalleled account of the Communist Party at the height of its theoretical power and influence.”
—London Review of Books

“Raphael Samuel gave new meaning to the idea of history … He brought to the writing and popularisation of history a seemingly inexhaustible energy and creativity.”
—Gareth Stedman Jones, Independent

“Samuel was born to be an historian. He had the vital quality of living at the same time in the past, the present and the future. Everything interested him, from public health to colonial rebellion and from street lighting to street fighting.”
—Times

“You can’t know the times without knowing the party, and Samuel makes an excellent guide to it.”
—Guardian

“Shows Samuel at his very best as both a historian and writer.”
—Tribune

“The best book on the subject”
—Martin Kettle, New Statesman

From the Publisher

Samuel was born to be an historian. He had the vital quality of living at the same time in the past, the present and the future. Everything interested him, from public health to colonial rebellion and from street lighting to street fighting.

The Times

Raphael Samuel gave new meaning to the idea of history... He brought to the writing and popularisation of history a seemingly inexhaustible energy and creativity.

Gareth Stedman Jones - Independent