Communist Party Historians Group
Encyclopedia
A subdivision of the Communist Party of Great Britain
(CPGB), from 1946-1956 the Communist Party Historians Group formed a highly influential cluster of British
Marxist historians
, who contributed to "history from below
." Famous members included such leading lights of 20th-century British history as Christopher Hill, Eric Hobsbawm
, Raphael Samuel
and E.P. Thompson, as well as important non-academics like A. L. Morton
and Brian Pearce
.
In keeping with their standing positions, many of the members carried out their projects from adult education
institutions, rather than the academy. In 1952 several of the members founded the influential social history
journal
Past and Present
.
This dualism was represented by Marx and Engels' dictum that "men make their own history, but they do not do so in conditions of their own choosing," which is regularly paraphrased in CPHG members' texts.
Revisiting and reinstating popular agency in the narrative
of British history required originality and determination in the research process, to draw out marginal voices from texts in which they were barely mentioned or active. The techniques influenced both feminist historians and the Subaltern Studies Group, writing the histories of marginalised groups.
, Khrushchev
's Secret Speech
, and several other factors precipitated something of a sea change in international Marxist opinion. Many figures went on to become prominent in the New Left
, especially Samuel, Saville and Thompson. Other members, most notably Eric Hobsbawm
, remained in the group, which in 1956 launched a quarterly monograph series "Our History". As the CP History Group, it continued until the CPGB's dissolution at the end of 1991, and even managed to increase its membership and output of publications at a time when the CPGB itself was in terminal decline. In early 1992 it reconstituted itself as the Socialist History Society
, and made full membership available to anybody regardless of party affiliation. The SHS now publishes a twice-yearly journal "Socialist History" and a series of monographs called "Occasional Papers".
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
(CPGB), from 1946-1956 the Communist Party Historians Group formed a highly influential cluster of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Marxist historians
Marxist historiography
Marxist or historical materialist historiography is a school of historiography influenced by Marxism. The chief tenets of Marxist historiography are the centrality of social class and economic constraints in determining historical outcomes....
, who contributed to "history from below
History From Below
History From Below is the follow-up album to 2008's critically acclaimed Ode to Sunshine by San Diego's Delta Spirit. The album was released on June 8, 2010.The band began streaming "White Table" on its website, http://www.deltaspirit.net, on May 6....
." Famous members included such leading lights of 20th-century British history as Christopher Hill, Eric Hobsbawm
Eric Hobsbawm
Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm , CH, FBA, is a British Marxist historian, public intellectual, and author...
, Raphael Samuel
Raphael Samuel
Raphael Elkan Samuel was a British Marxist historian, described by Stuart Hall as "one of the most outstanding, original intellectuals of his generation" . He was professor of history at the University of East London at the time of his death and also taught at Ruskin College from 1962 until his...
and E.P. Thompson, as well as important non-academics like A. L. Morton
A. L. Morton
Leslie Morton was a prolific English Marxist historian. He worked as an independent scholar; from 1946 onwards he was the Chair of the Historians Group of the Communist Party of Great Britain...
and Brian Pearce
Brian Pearce
Brian Leonard Pearce was a British Marxist politician, historian, and translator.-Biography:Brian Pearce was born in Weymouth, Dorset on 9 May 1915. His father was an upwardly mobile engineer, his mother a domestic servant of Irish extraction. Brian was their only child, a shy and precocious boy,...
.
In keeping with their standing positions, many of the members carried out their projects from adult education
Adult education
Adult education is the practice of teaching and educating adults. Adult education takes place in the workplace, through 'extension' school or 'school of continuing education' . Other learning places include folk high schools, community colleges, and lifelong learning centers...
institutions, rather than the academy. In 1952 several of the members founded the influential social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
Past and Present
Past & Present
Past & Present is a British historical academic journal, which was a leading force in the development of social history. It was founded in 1952 by a combination of Marxist and non-Marxist historians. The Marxist historians included members of the Communist Party Historians Group, including E. P...
.
Notable members
- Maurice DobbMaurice DobbMaurice Herbert Dobb , was a British Marxist economist, and a lecturer 1924-1959 and Reader 1959-1976 at Cambridge University and a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge 1948-1976.-Life:...
- Christopher Hill
- Rodney HiltonRodney HiltonRodney Howard Hilton, , was an English Marxist historian of the late medieval period and the transition from feudalism to capitalism. He was born in Manchester and studied at Balliol College Oxford University and was a member of the Communist Party Historians Group before leaving the party in 1956...
- Charles Hobday
- Eric HobsbawmEric HobsbawmEric John Ernest Hobsbawm , CH, FBA, is a British Marxist historian, public intellectual, and author...
- Victor KiernanVictor KiernanProfessor Victor Gordon Kiernan was a British Marxist historian and a former member of the Communist Party Historians Group with a particular focus on the history of imperialism ..Kiernan was born in Ashton upon Mersey, Sale to Congregationalist lower-middle class parents...
- A. L. MortonA. L. MortonLeslie Morton was a prolific English Marxist historian. He worked as an independent scholar; from 1946 onwards he was the Chair of the Historians Group of the Communist Party of Great Britain...
- George RudéGeorge RudéGeorge Rudé was a British Marxist historian, specializing in the French Revolution and "history from below," especially the importance of crowds in history.-Summary:...
- Raphael SamuelRaphael SamuelRaphael Elkan Samuel was a British Marxist historian, described by Stuart Hall as "one of the most outstanding, original intellectuals of his generation" . He was professor of history at the University of East London at the time of his death and also taught at Ruskin College from 1962 until his...
- John SavilleJohn SavilleJohn Saville was a Greek-British Marxist historian, long associated with Hull University. He was one of the most influential writers on British Labour History in the second half of the twentieth century.- Life and career :...
- Dorothy ThompsonDorothy Thompson (historian)Dorothy Katharine Gane Thompson was a social historian, a leading expert on the Chartist movement. She entered Girton College, Cambridge, in 1942. During the war, her work as an industrial draughtswoman for Royal Dutch Shell interrupted her formal education...
- E. P. ThompsonE. P. ThompsonEdward Palmer Thompson was a British historian, writer, socialist and peace campaigner. He is probably best known today for his historical work on the British radical movements in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in particular The Making of the English Working Class...
- Dona TorrDona TorrDona Ruth Anne Torr was a British Marxist historian, and a major influence on the Communist Party Historians Group. Aside from her translations of many Marxist classics into English, she is perhaps best known for her unfinished biography of the important labour activist, Tom Mann, Tom Mann and his...
Aims and methods
In their work we can read two definite aims:- to seek out a popular revolutionary tradition that could inspire contemporary activists; and yet
- to apply a Marxist economic approachMarxian economicsMarxian economics refers to economic theories on the functioning of capitalism based on the works of Karl Marx. Adherents of Marxian economics, particularly in academia, distinguish it from Marxism as a political ideology and sociological theory, arguing that Marx's approach to understanding the...
which placed an emphasis on social conditions rather than supposed "Great MenGreat man theoryThe Great Man Theory was a popular 19th century idea according to which history can be largely explained by the impact of "great men", or heroes: highly influential individuals who, due to either their personal charisma, intelligence, wisdom, or Machiavellianism utilized their power in a way that...
".
This dualism was represented by Marx and Engels' dictum that "men make their own history, but they do not do so in conditions of their own choosing," which is regularly paraphrased in CPHG members' texts.
Revisiting and reinstating popular agency in the narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
of British history required originality and determination in the research process, to draw out marginal voices from texts in which they were barely mentioned or active. The techniques influenced both feminist historians and the Subaltern Studies Group, writing the histories of marginalised groups.
1956 and after
The group lost many prominent members after 1956 as the Hungarian Uprising1956 Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution or Uprising of 1956 was a spontaneous nationwide revolt against the government of the People's Republic of Hungary and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956....
, Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
's Secret Speech
On the Personality Cult and its Consequences
On the Personality Cult and its Consequences was a report, critical of Joseph Stalin, made to the Twentieth Party Congress on February 25, 1956 by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. It is more commonly known as the Secret Speech or the Khrushchev Report...
, and several other factors precipitated something of a sea change in international Marxist opinion. Many figures went on to become prominent in the New Left
New Left
The New Left was a term used mainly in the United Kingdom and United States in reference to activists, educators, agitators and others in the 1960s and 1970s who sought to implement a broad range of reforms, in contrast to earlier leftist or Marxist movements that had taken a more vanguardist...
, especially Samuel, Saville and Thompson. Other members, most notably Eric Hobsbawm
Eric Hobsbawm
Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm , CH, FBA, is a British Marxist historian, public intellectual, and author...
, remained in the group, which in 1956 launched a quarterly monograph series "Our History". As the CP History Group, it continued until the CPGB's dissolution at the end of 1991, and even managed to increase its membership and output of publications at a time when the CPGB itself was in terminal decline. In early 1992 it reconstituted itself as the Socialist History Society
Socialist History Society
The Socialist History Society is a UK organization which publishes a twice-yearly journal about the history of the socialist and labour movements in Britain, and occasionally produces pamphlets. It also holds occasional meetings...
, and made full membership available to anybody regardless of party affiliation. The SHS now publishes a twice-yearly journal "Socialist History" and a series of monographs called "Occasional Papers".