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Britain's Communists: The Untold Story
by John Green, with contributions by Andy Croft and Graham Stevenson
2014; Paperback; 250pp; ISBN 978-0-9558228-4-1
Since its founding in 1920 the Communist Party has been an integral part of the British political scene and, despite its small size, has had an impact on the political and social life of the country far greater than would have been expected and certainly more far-reaching than has been credited by most historians.
Much has been written about communism, but little about the impact of ordinary communists on life here in Britain. This book is an attempt to write a history in terms of what E.P. Thompson called, "an act of reparation, rescuing the defeated from the enormous condescension of posterity". It is history seen through the lives of those who were, for a shorter or lengthier time, part of the communist movement at some time during the whole trajectory of its existence. Few will be aware of how communists have impacted in significant ways on their own lives and those around them. This book redresses that omission.
It is also a counter-narrative to the traditional mainstream one of communists and the communist party as alien, if not subversive, forces in Britain and marginal to real political and social life. It focuses more on the contributions communists have made in the various areas of society, rather than on the ideology of communism or on the complex relationship with the Soviet Union.