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Communism, Culture, and Society in the 20th Century

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The monument to Vladimir Mayakovsky in Moscow on Mayakovsky Square. A statue of Vladimir Mayakovsky stood looking to the right.

Papers of the National Cultural Committee (NCC)

Our History Journal is published, as the Newsletter was, by the Communist Party History Group. However it is intended to appeal to all, whether in the Communist Party or not, whether specialists in history of not, who are interested in genuine Marxist historical debate.
Our History Journal Editorial,  Communist Party of Great Britain

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Explore communist perspectives on the rich culture of the 20th century

Harry Pollitt, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain, gives a speech to workers in Whitehall, London, 1941

This collection contains documents compiled by the National Cultural Committee (NCC) of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). The NCC was established in 1947 and functioned as an advisory panel for the Executive Committee. It aimed to develop policy related to the spheres of culture and the arts for the consideration of the Executive Committee.

Included in this collection are minutes, agendas, and circulars from the NCC’s executive meetings, as well as a wealth of material related to its various sub-committees. This includes files from the History Group, the Music Group, the Philosophy Group, the Architects and Allied Technician Group, and the Visual Arts Group, as well as adjacent journals and publications. Together, they are a valuable resource for students and scholars who are interested in communist efforts to influence British cultural and intellectual life during the twentieth century.

The collection is accompanied by three contextual essays written by Professor Kevin Morgan, a senior academic at the University of Manchester.

Contents

Communism, Culture, and Society in the 20th Century...

Papers of the National Cultural Committee (NCC)

Discover 
A cream background with typed black lettering. At the top it reads 'REALISM' and underneath 'Number One June 1955'.

Highlights

Section of a bulletin titled Our History, Story of the Sheffield Engineers, 1916-1918, dated February 1954.

Licensed to access 'Our History' first series, 1953-1955

The first series of 'Our History' bulletins, a series of short publications exploring British social and political history from a working class perspective.
Top section of a front page of Music & Life, featuring the subtitle In This Issue: Music and the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Great (sentence cuts off).

Licensed to access ‘Music and Life’ in the era of counterculture, 1963-1968

A musical journal of the Communist Party of Great Britain which aimed to stimulate musical discussion from a leftist perspective, with this run of issues taking place against the backdrop of the proliferation of pop music and counterculture during the 1960s.
Section of a proposed outline for a history course at the Communist University 1976, titled Problems of Ruling Classes in History.

Licensed to access The Communist University of 1976

Material from the history course of the 8th annual Communist University event held in London in 1976, which aimed to bring Marxist ideals to a new generation of leftist students.
Section of minutes from a meeting of the Arts & Leisure Committee on 11 November 1976.

Licensed to access Files from the Arts and Leisure Committee, 1976-1977

Material related to the Arts and Leisure Committee, an advisory committee established to develop policy and promote progressive activity in the sphere of television, art, films, theatre and music.

Insights

  • The collection covers the work of the National Cultural Committee (NCC) of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). The NCC was set up in 1947 with the view of promoting and policing Marxist orthodoxy in the sphere of cultural affairs.
  • Included in the files are personal papers from prominent members of the NCC, such as Betty Reid and Brian Simon, as well as material drawn from several of the NCC’s sub-committee’s covering everything from visual arts and psychology.
  • The large breadth of content offers a fascinating look into how the CPGB viewed cultural events through the lens of Marxism and tried to use culture as a vehicle for the exportation of communist ideals.
  • Comprising a large section of this collection is material and papers related to the Historians Group, an influential group of communist historians that explored ‘history from below’ and boasted such members as Eric Hobsbawm, A. L. Morton and Christopher Hill.
  • Many publications and journals of various NCC sub-committees are included in the collection, including the influential 'Our History Journal', as well as others like 'Music and Life' and 'Realism'.
  • The material runs until shortly after the collapse of the CPGB in 1991, with certain content showing how communist members and NCC groups reassessed the legacy of communism and tried to forge a new path forward.
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Related Media

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

The singular nature of the CPGB's relationship with the Communist International means that the organisational holdings of the archives in Britain are of a highly asymmetrical character. Discrete groups of documents from the inter-war years, some of considerable historical significance, appear to have been retained by individuals and deposited in... Read more →
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