H. N. Brailsford
Encyclopedia
Henry Noel Brailsford was the most prolific British left-wing journalist
of the first half of the 20th century.
The son of a Methodist preacher, he was born in Yorkshire
and educated in Scotland, at the High School of Dundee
. He abandoned an academic career to become a journalist, rising to prominence in the 1890s as a foreign correspondent for the Manchester Guardian, specialising in the Balkans
, France
and Egypt
.
In 1899 he moved to London, working for the Morning Leader and then the Daily News. He led a British relief mission to Macedonia
in 1903, publishing a book, Macedonia. Its Races and Their Future, on his return.
In 1907 he was convicted of conspiring to obtain a British passport in the name of one person for another person to travel to Russia.
Brailsford joined the Independent Labour Party
in 1907 and resigned from the Daily News in 1909 when it supported force-feeding
of suffragette
prisoners. Over the next decade he wrote several books, among them Adventures in Prose (1911), Shelley, Godwin and his Circle (1913), War of Steel and Gold (1914), Origins of the Great War (1914), Belgium and the Scrap of Paper (1915) and A League of Nations (1917).
In 1913-14 Brailsford was a member of the international commission sent by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to investigate the conduct of the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. He co-authored its report.
He was a prominent member of the Union of Democratic Control
during the first world war and stood unsuccessfully as a Labour
candidate in the 1918 general election. He subsequently toured central Europe
and his graphic accounts of life in the defeated countries appeared in his books Across the Blockade (1919) and After the Peace (1920).
Brailsford went to Soviet Russia
in 1920 and again to the USSR in 1926, publishing two books on the subject. He was editor of the New Leader
, the ILP newspaper, from 1922 to 1926. He left the ILP in 1932 and through the 1930s was a regular contributor to Reynolds News and the New Statesman
.
His books in the 1930s include the anti-colonialist classic Rebel India (1931) and the anti-militarist Property or Peace? (1934). In the late 1930s, he was one of the few writers associated with the Left Book Club
, the New Statesman
and Tribune
who was consistently critical of the Soviet show trials.
Brailsford continued to write books during the second world war, the most important being Subject India (1943) and Our Settlement with Germany (1944). After his retirement from journalism in 1946, he wrote a history of the Levellers
, which was unfinished at the time of his death.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
of the first half of the 20th century.
The son of a Methodist preacher, he was born in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and educated in Scotland, at the High School of Dundee
High School of Dundee
The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in the city of Dundee, Scotland which provides both primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils...
. He abandoned an academic career to become a journalist, rising to prominence in the 1890s as a foreign correspondent for the Manchester Guardian, specialising in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
In 1899 he moved to London, working for the Morning Leader and then the Daily News. He led a British relief mission to Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
in 1903, publishing a book, Macedonia. Its Races and Their Future, on his return.
In 1907 he was convicted of conspiring to obtain a British passport in the name of one person for another person to travel to Russia.
Brailsford joined the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
in 1907 and resigned from the Daily News in 1909 when it supported force-feeding
Force-feeding
Force-feeding is the practice of feeding a person or an animal against their will. "Gavage" is supplying a nutritional substance by means of a small plastic tube passed through the nose or mouth into the stomach, not explicitly 'forcibly'....
of suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
prisoners. Over the next decade he wrote several books, among them Adventures in Prose (1911), Shelley, Godwin and his Circle (1913), War of Steel and Gold (1914), Origins of the Great War (1914), Belgium and the Scrap of Paper (1915) and A League of Nations (1917).
In 1913-14 Brailsford was a member of the international commission sent by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace to investigate the conduct of the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. He co-authored its report.
He was a prominent member of the Union of Democratic Control
Union of Democratic Control
The Union of Democratic Control was a British pressure group formed in 1914 to press for a more responsive foreign policy. While not a pacifist organization, it was opposed to military influence in government.-World War I:...
during the first world war and stood unsuccessfully as a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate in the 1918 general election. He subsequently toured central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
and his graphic accounts of life in the defeated countries appeared in his books Across the Blockade (1919) and After the Peace (1920).
Brailsford went to Soviet Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1920 and again to the USSR in 1926, publishing two books on the subject. He was editor of the New Leader
Labour Leader
The Labour Leader was a British socialist newspaper published for almost one hundred years. It was later re-named New Leader and Socialist Leader, before finally taking the name Labour Leader again....
, the ILP newspaper, from 1922 to 1926. He left the ILP in 1932 and through the 1930s was a regular contributor to Reynolds News and the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
.
His books in the 1930s include the anti-colonialist classic Rebel India (1931) and the anti-militarist Property or Peace? (1934). In the late 1930s, he was one of the few writers associated with the Left Book Club
Left Book Club
The Left Book Club, founded in 1936, was a key left-wing institution of the late 1930s and 1940s in the United Kingdom set up by Stafford Cripps, Victor Gollancz and John Strachey to revitalise and educate the British Left. The Club's aim was to "help in the struggle For world peace and against...
, the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
and Tribune
Tribune (magazine)
Tribune is a democratic socialist weekly, founded in 1937 published in London. It is independent but supports the Labour Party from the left...
who was consistently critical of the Soviet show trials.
Brailsford continued to write books during the second world war, the most important being Subject India (1943) and Our Settlement with Germany (1944). After his retirement from journalism in 1946, he wrote a history of the Levellers
Levellers
The Levellers were a political movement during the English Civil Wars which emphasised popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law, and religious tolerance, all of which were expressed in the manifesto "Agreement of the People". They came to prominence at the end of the First...
, which was unfinished at the time of his death.