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Overview
This is Volume Five of a comprehensive history of the British Communist Party in the twentieth century, and covers the period from 1951 to 1968.The cold war was at its most intense during this period, and it was also the time of the dramas of 1956 - Khruschev's critique of Stalin, the Hungarian uprising and the Suez crisis. Then in the 1960s the opening up of new possibilities for radicalism began, leading up to the events of May 1968. The impact of these events on the Party is extensively analysed, drawing on evidence from detailed archival research and many interviews with former activists.
Topics covered include: the nature of the Party and its Soviet 'ecology'; its responses to the events of 1956; its involvement in anti-colonial struggles; its positions on international and economic issues and perspectives on class struggle; its relationship with the Labour Party and the trade unions; and the forces for change in the Party in the 1960s.
Times change, and John Callaghan's book differs from previous volumes in this series in a number of ways - most obviously, in that it was written after the demise of the Soviet Union and the Party, and thus with much better access to archives and the views of former party members. In addition, it is organised thematically rather than chronologically, and is written from a more critical position than previous titles in the series. It shares with its predecessors, however, the idea that a history of the CPGB has some importance, not least for the light it casts on some of the key issues of the twentieth century.
Synopsis
This fifth volume of a comprehensive history of the British Communist Party in the 20th century covers the pivotal period between 1951 and 1968 that saw the dramatic impact of the French "Days of May" on the party. Drawing on archival evidence and interviews with former activists, this book discusses the party's involvement in anti-colonial struggles, its relationship with the Labor Party and trade unions, and the forces that changed the party during the 1960s. In addition, this work benefits from the demise of the Soviet Union and subsequent improved access to Soviet archives.
Author Biography: John Callaghan is the coeditor of Socialism in Britain. He is a professor of politics at the University of Wolverhampton.