Communist Party of Great Britain

The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was a political party in the United Kingdom, which existed from 1920 to 1991.

1977-1991: breakup of the party

By 1977 debate around the new draft of the "British Road to Socialism" brought the party to breaking point and many of the anti-Eurocommunists decided that they needed to form their own anti-revisionist Communist party. Some speculated that they thought at this time that they would receive the backing of Moscow but this appears not to have materialised. The New Communist Party of Britain under the leadership of Sid French was formed. French being the Secretary of the then important Surrey District CP which had a strong base in engineering.

Related Topics:
1977 - New Communist Party of Britain

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Another grouping, led by Fergus Nicholson remained in the party launching the paper Straight Left which served as a mouthpiece for their views as well as an organising tool in their work within the Labour Party. He had earlier taken part in establishing a faction known as "Clause Four" within Labour's student movement. Nicholson wrote as Harry Steel a combination of the names of Stalin and Harry Pollitt. The group around Straight Left exerted considerable infuence in the trade union movement, CND, the Anti Apartheid Movement and amongst some Labour MPs.

Related Topics:
Straight Left - Labour's student movement

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On the opposing wing of the party Martin Jacques became the editor of the party's theoretical journal Marxism Today and rapidly made it a leading mouthpiece for Eurocommunist opinions in the party. Although circulation of the new glossy covered magazine rose it was still a drain on the finances of the small party.

Related Topics:
Martin Jacques - Marxism Today

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In 1985 a factional struggle erupted in the CPGB. Members loyal to the Party's programme, the British Road to Socialism, established a network of Morning Star readers' groups and similar bodies calling themselves the "Communist Campaign Group". In 1988 these elements established their own party, based on Britain's Road to Socialism, which they named the Communist Party of Britain.

Related Topics:
1985 - Morning Star - 1988 - Communist Party of Britain

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In 1991 when the Soviet Union broke up, the eurocommunist-dominated leadership of the CPGB decided to disband, and renamed itself Democratic Left, a left-leaning political think tank rather than a political party. Supporters of The Leninist who had rejoined the CPGB in the early 1980s, declared their intention to reforge the Party, and held an emergency conference at which they claimed the name of the party. They are now known as the Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee) and number about 20. See also: Rajani Palme Dutt

Related Topics:
1991 - Soviet Union - Democratic Left - Think tank - The Leninist - Communist Party of Great Britain (Provisional Central Committee) - Rajani Palme Dutt

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