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British Communism through Committee Work, 1926–1992

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Papers of miscellaneous Communist Party of Great Britain sub-committees

The Tory Government has demonstrated what it thinks about the need to fight against the menace of racialism and discrimination by introducing the Immigration Bill which quite blatantly treats black people worse than white and which will make race relations in Britain increasingly difficult.
Communist Party of Great Britain,  'Unite against racialism' pamphlet

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Study communist perspectives on immigration, health, parliamentary politics, and science

A black and white image of a meeting of the elected management committee of the 'New Life' collective farm in Moscow.

The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) spawned many different committees throughout its turbulent lifetime. This collection contains the papers of numerous different committees established to advise the Executive Committee on party policy and ongoing developments in their respective fields. The material is varied in scope and demonstrates the totality of the CPGB’s ambitions in developing policy for their political programme.

The collection includes material from the following committees and departments; the Parliamentary Department; the Unemployment Committee; the Health Advisory Committee; the Jewish Committee; the West Indies Committee; the Science and Technology Sub-Committee; as well as many more.

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

Contents

British Communism through Committee Work, 1926–1992...

Papers of miscellaneous Communist Party of Great Britain sub-committees

Discover 
A black and white image of a soldier on the left and on the right letters that read 'Northern Ireland: solidarity for self preservation'

Highlights

Section of a Letter of the National Jewish Committee of the Communist Party dated 10 October 1943.

Licensed to access The 'Jewish Bureau' during the Second World War, 1937-1945

During the era of the fascism and the Holocaust, the CPGB’s Jewish Bureau was established to spotlight the plight of Jewish people across the world and formulate party policy in relation to their struggles.
Section of a confidential report titled Report on Parliamentary Work From October 1948 to September 1949.

Licensed to access Parliamentary activities of William Gallacher MP and Phil Piratin MP, 1940-1949

Contains papers documenting the parliamentary activities of two CPGB MPs during the most influential period of the party's history during and after the Second World War.
Section of a National Health Service report titled Summary of Early History and Main Features.

Licensed to access Papers and publications of the National Health Advisory Committee, 1960-1992

Offer insights into how the CPGB viewed healthcare issues and the gradual weakening of the public health service under Thatcherism during the 1980s and 1990s.
Cartoon of a man planting a tree with a woman holding a child pointing, while a large man in a top-hat steals an apple from the tree. Above the text reads science bulletin, a communist journal of Marxism & science, Spring 1973.

Licensed to access ‘Science bulletin’ series, 1972-1980

Contains a series of CPGB bulletins that discussed science and technological advancements from a Marxist perspective, covering everything from genetics to energy policy.

Insights

  • Much of the collection material is derived from specialised committees of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). These bodies were established to research specific topics and advise the ruling Executive Committee on the CPGB’s policy positions.
  • A large section of the material comes from the Health Advisory Committee and its related publications. As such, the collection offers an extensive look into not only the establishment of the National Health Service, but also how the service changed through the years of Thatcherism.
  • The Parliamentary Department contains files from the CPGB’s most influential period, with membership peaking at 60,000 in 1942 and two communist MPs being present in parliament. Files from this department show how the CPGB sought to use its parliamentary power to champion certain causes.
  • Documents from the Race Relations Committee and West Indies Committee examine the implications of British colonialism and mass migration in the post-war period.
  • Material from various Jewish committees examines the sufferings of Jewish people during and beyond the Second World War, as well as wrestling with the contentious issue of antisemitism in the USSR.
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Related Media

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

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