Marxist History and Historians in the 20th Century

Dona Ruth Anne Torr (1883–1957) was a Marxist historian, translator, and activist. Despite being born into an aristocratic family, Torr became a founding member of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). She went on to build a reputation not only as an adept historian, but also as a passionate activist who gave her life to communism. She has been cited as a major influence by E. P. Thompson and Eric Hobsbawm.

This collection contains Torr’s personal papers, including research notes and other materials relating to her biography of noted labour activist Thomas Mann. Together, these documents provide an invaluable insight into Marxist historiography and the social history of the British labour movement. In addition, they shed light on the life and times of one of British communism’s most important female figures.

The collection is accompanied by a contextual essay written by Torr’s great nephew, Dr. David Renton. According to Dr. Renton “Torr was a loyal and active member of her party, who sustained her political duties even at a cost to her own writing."

The [CPGB] archives contain by far the most important collection of personal papers relating to British communism.

Professor Kevin Morgan, University of Manchester

Insights

This collection offers a range of historical writings viewed through the prism of one of the most influential female writers of the Communist Party of Great Britain, Dona Torr (1883–1957).

Torr's political journey to revolutionary socialism seemed unlikely given that her grandfather was a wealthy merchant and Conservative Party MP. Nevertheless, she was a founding member of the CPGB in 1920 and went on to carve out an important niche within the party.

Torr was best known for her English translations of Marx’s classic works, as well as her extensive and unfinished biography of labour figure Thomas Mann. The collection contains an abundance of notes and files relating to her work on Mann.

Torr's writings are largely focussed on the history of the labour movement.

Her growing stature in the party is reflected in the vast range of personal correspondence with important communists, including General Secretary Harry Pollitt.

In her later life, Torr was also a member of the influential Marxist Historians Group and has been cited as an influence by E. P. Thompson and Eric Hobsbawm. She died in 1957 before being able to finish and publish Thomas Mann and His Times.

Highlights

Document

Dona Torr’s philosophical musings, n.d.

Document

Notes on Kropotkin’s anarchism and the state, 1886–1888

Document

Thomas Mann on the world stage, 1929–1938

Document

Memories of Thomas Mann: Recollections by Harry Pollitt, 1930s

The Archives of the Communist Party Of Great Britain: An Introduction

The Departments of the Communist Party of Great Britain: A Detailed Guide

Notable Individuals of the Communist Party of Great Britain

The historian and her group: Dona Torr and Marxist history

Editorial Board

Professor Kevin Morgan Professor of Politics and Contemporary History https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/kevin.morgan.html Kevin Morgan is the Professor of Politics and Contemporary History at the University of Manchester and recipient of an AHRC Fellowship for the project ‘Communism and the cult of the leader’. Professor Morgan is also the editor of the journal 'Twentieth Century Communism' and a trustee of the Communist Party of Great Britain Archives Trust and the Working Class Movement Library.