First published in 1969, this classic account of the emergence of the British Communist Party has stood the test of time. Today, it remains indispensable reading for anyone interested in socialist history in Britain.
Walter Kendall has been widely praised for his rich contextualisation of the events and forensic examination of both the national and international factors influencing the nativity of the British Communist Party. His book imaginatively recuperates and critically evaluates the politics of the party’s predecessors, notably the British Socialist Party and the Socialist Labour Party, the radical upsurge of 1910–14, the wartime shop-steward’s movement, the resonance of the Russian Revolution, and the role of the Comintern in shaping British Communism. Vivid portraits of the human actors — H M Hyndman, John Maclean, Arthur MacManus and Theodore Rothstein — illuminate the text. John McIlroy has provided a detailed Introduction to this republication.
Walter Kendall (1926–2003) is the author of The Revolutionary Movement in Britain 1900–21 (1969), The Labour Movement in Europe (1975), and many papers and articles.
Publication date: July 28, 2026
Acknowledgements
Preface: Walter Kendall and The Revolutionary Movement in Britain
Abbreviations
Introduction: The Origins of British Communism
Part 1
1 Stress and Strain in the Social Democratic Federation
2 The Radical Upsurge
3 Nationalism and Chauvinism in the Social Democratic Federation
4 The British Socialist Labour Party
5 The Russian Émigrés
6 War and the British Socialist Party
7 Clydeside in Wartime
8 The Shop Stewards’ Movement
9 The British Socialist Party after Hyndman
Part 2
10 The British and European Scene 1918 to 1920
11 The Unity Negotiations, Easter 1918 to August 1920
12 The Communist International and the Communist Party of Great Britain
13 The Russian Influence
14 Unity and Consolidation, August 1920 to January 1921
15 The Independent Labour Party and the Communist International
16 Guild Socialism and the Labour Research Department
17 John Maclean and the Communist Party of Great Britain
18 Conclusion
Appendix 1: The Membership of the Communist Party of Great Britain
Appendix 2: The Executives of the Social Democratic Federation, the British Socialist Party and the Communist Party of Great Britain
Appendix 3: The Social Democratic Federation–British Socialist Party Participation in General Elections
Appendix 4: The Social Democratic Federation–British Socialist Party Conferences, Branches and Membership
Appendix 5: The Socialist Labour Party
Appendix 6: The Social Democratic Federation–British Socialist Party in Local Government
Bibliography
Index