The Political Culture of British Communism, 1920-1991

National Congress was the supreme decision-making body of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). Congress delegates from across the Party’s districts and branches met bi-annually in order to elect members to key political bodies, to vote on resolutions and on other policy issues, and to fraternise with fellow members and representatives of international communist parties. Congress was a hive of activity and often the scene of high political drama as tensions frayed and factions fought over the direction of the Party.

From the Communist Unity Convention in 1920, at which the CPGB was formed, to the Forty-Third National Congress in 1991, which saw the dissolution of the Party, this collection offers a detailed insight into the political culture and unique democratic processes of the CPGB.

The collection is accompanied by three contextual articles written by Professor Kevin Morgan.

For the values, the rituals, the language, and the political culture of British communism, as well as insights into a wide spread of party activities, the congress materials provide an important source.

Professor Kevin Morgan, University of Manchester

Insights

At the Communist Unity Convention in 1920 a number of left-wing groups came together to form the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). Over the next five years the Party held several further Conventions in order to establish party rules, create a democratic structure, and to decide on the main tenets of its policy.

Although all Congresses are covered in detail, the collection hosts complete runs of Congress files from the Twentieth National Congress (1948) to the Twenty-Eighth National Congress (1963).

The General-Secretary usually opened Congress with a "Political Resolution" which situated the work of the CPGB within the domestic and international political landscape. It also set out the direction of travel for the Party. Members of the departing Executive Committee likewise reported on the work they had done since the previous Congress.

Resolutions sponsored by the Party’s key bodies had to be amended, painstakingly, by individual members. Special sub-committees, which are featured in this collection, were established to deal with this and to respond to other resolutions submitted to Congress.

For many onlookers Congress was often a source of fascination and entertainment. Indeed, established newspapers throughout Britain and further afield typically poked fun at this political event.

During the final years of the CPGB Congresses became fraught, testy affairs as "Eurocommunists" and "Tankies" vied for control of the Party. The Forty-Third National Congress (1991) saw the CPGB abandon its Marxist-Leninist roots and transform into the Democratic Left.

Highlights

Document

The Second Unity Convention, 1921

Document

Building a "United Front" at the Fourteenth National Congress, 1937

Document

Press coverage of the Twenty-Fifth National Congress, 1957

Document

Factionalism at the Fortieth National Congress, 1987

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

Notable Individuals of the Communist Party of Great Britain

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

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.