Political Programmes of British Communism, 1944-1990

The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) created several commissions that aimed to construct political programmes in response to social, political, and economic developments in Britain and the Soviet Union. This collection hosts the papers of several commissions that sought to redraft the Party’s flagship political manifesto: The British Road to Socialism. This was first published in 1951 with the personal approval of Joseph Stalin. It became a key battleground between various factions of the CPGB that sought to control the direction and agenda of the Party.

The collection also contains material from other Party commissions that wrestled with issues such as democracy in Britain, class unity, and the structure and organisation of the Party. This collection offers a look into how communist plans to reshape Britain evolved over time.

The collection also contains three contextual essays written by Professor Kevin Morgan.

Britain will reach socialism by her own road… the people of Britain can transform capitalist democracy into a real Peoples Democracy

The British Road to Socialism, 1951 edition.

Insights

The first six volumes offer extensive material related to the various redrafting processes undertaken by the CPGB on their official programme: The British Road to Socialism.

As division between “Eurocommunists” and "Tankies" grew, the various redrafting processes of The British Road became battlegrounds for the soul of the Party. Both sides wanted this programme to reflect their respective values.

“Eurocommunists” eventually won control of the Party's apparatus. They transformed The British Road into the Manifesto for New Times, which all but abandoned the CPGB’s Marxist-Leninist roots.

The “Commission on the Middle Classes” examined the prospect of uniting the middle classes and working classes around a common anti-capitalist programme.

The Commission for a “Declaration on Democratic Rights” took aim at the perceived democratic deficit in Britain and gave thought as to how this situation could be improved.

Due to increasing factionalism, various Commissions on “Party Organisation”, “Inner-Party Democracy”, and “Congress Organisation” were set-up to consider ways of improving the internal political structures of the CPGB.

Highlights

Document

The first “British Road to Socialism” with press reaction, 1950–1951

Document

“Comment” correspondence on the "British Road" redraft, 1977

Document

Materials on factionalism surrounding the “Inner-Party Democracy Commission”, 1979

Document

Final draft of the “Manifesto for New Times”, 1989

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

Notable Individuals of the Communist Party of Great Britain

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

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.