Robert Page Arnot
Encyclopedia
Robert "Robin" Page Arnot, (1890–1986), best known as R. Page Arnot, was a British Communist journalist and politician.
, the son of a newspaper editor. He attended Glasgow University where he helped to form the University Socialist Federation in 1912, along with G.D.H. Cole and others. He also wrote for the Labour Leader, publication of the Independent Labour Party
, using the pseudonym
"Jack Cade."
In 1912, the Fabian socialist Beatrice Webb
established a Committee of Enquiry into the future control of industry. Out of this sprung the Fabian Research Department, which later evolved into the Labour Research Department
. One of the volunteers attracted by the project was Robin Page Arnot, who became its full-time head in 1914 — a position which he retained until 1926.
In 1916, Arnot was drafted into the British military, but he refused induction and was imprisoned for two years as a conscientious objector
. When he was freed in 1918, he returned to his post as the Secretary of the Labour Research Department. In 1919, in response to labour unrest in the coal
mines, the British government established a Committee of Inquiry. The Miners' Federation sought the aid of the Labour Research Department in marshaling evidence on behalf of the workers' demand for higher wages, shorter hours, and government ownership of the mines.
in 1920. Coming as he did from a background as a guild socialist
, Arnot favored close integration of the Communist Party with the broader labor movement, including affiliation as a member organization under the Labour Party's
umbrella.
Arnot was a co-founder, along with R. Palme Dutt and W.N. Ewer of the Labour Monthly
, and was a regular contributor and assistant editor for that journal throughout its long history.
In 1925, Arnot was among the 12 Communists arrested under the Incitement to Mutiny Act of 1797. He was found guilty and jailed for six months, to be released on the eve of the 1926 General Strike. During the General Strike he helped to form the Northumberland and Durham Joint Strike Committee. After the failure of the strike, Arnot returned to the Labour Research Department as its Director of Research and wrote a book on the general strike.
R. Page Arnot was a fixture on the governing Central Committee of the CPGB. He was elected to the Central Committee by the party's 9th Congress in 1927, and returned by the 10th Congress of January 1929, the 11th Congress of December 1929, the 12th Congress of 1932, the 13th Congress of 1935, and the 14th Congress of 1937. He was not among the 24 members elected by the 15th Congress of 1938, however.
Arnot was elected as a delegate to the 6th World Congress of the Communist International, held in Moscow in 1928.
Arnot was a prolific pamphleteer and author and wrote a six volume history of the British mineworkers from 1949 to 1975.
Early years
Robert Page Arnot, known to his friends as "Robin", was born on 15 December 1890 at GreenockGreenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, the son of a newspaper editor. He attended Glasgow University where he helped to form the University Socialist Federation in 1912, along with G.D.H. Cole and others. He also wrote for the Labour Leader, publication of 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...
, using the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Jack Cade."
In 1912, the Fabian socialist Beatrice Webb
Beatrice Webb
Martha Beatrice Webb, Lady Passfield was an English sociologist, economist, socialist and social reformer. Although her husband became Baron Passfield in 1929, she refused to be known as Lady Passfield...
established a Committee of Enquiry into the future control of industry. Out of this sprung the Fabian Research Department, which later evolved into the Labour Research Department
Labour Research Department
The Labour Research Department is an independent trade union based research organisation, based in London, that provides information to support trade union activity and campaigns. LRD's publications Labour Research, Bargaining Report, Fact Service and LRD Booklets, along with an Enquiry Service...
. One of the volunteers attracted by the project was Robin Page Arnot, who became its full-time head in 1914 — a position which he retained until 1926.
In 1916, Arnot was drafted into the British military, but he refused induction and was imprisoned for two years as a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
. When he was freed in 1918, he returned to his post as the Secretary of the Labour Research Department. In 1919, in response to labour unrest in the coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
mines, the British government established a Committee of Inquiry. The Miners' Federation sought the aid of the Labour Research Department in marshaling evidence on behalf of the workers' demand for higher wages, shorter hours, and government ownership of the mines.
Political career
R. Page Arnot was a foundation member of the Communist Party of Great BritainCommunist 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:...
in 1920. Coming as he did from a background as a guild socialist
Guild socialism
Guild socialism is a political movement advocating workers' control of industry through the medium of trade-related guilds. It originated in the United Kingdom and was at its most influential in the first quarter of the 20th century. It was strongly associated with G. D. H...
, Arnot favored close integration of the Communist Party with the broader labor movement, including affiliation as a member organization under the Labour Party's
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...
umbrella.
Arnot was a co-founder, along with R. Palme Dutt and W.N. Ewer of the Labour Monthly
Labour Monthly
Labour Monthly was the magazine of the Communist Party of Great Britain .-Authors published:* Alexander BogdanovLabour Monthly was the magazine of the Communist Party of Great Britain .-Authors published:...
, and was a regular contributor and assistant editor for that journal throughout its long history.
In 1925, Arnot was among the 12 Communists arrested under the Incitement to Mutiny Act of 1797. He was found guilty and jailed for six months, to be released on the eve of the 1926 General Strike. During the General Strike he helped to form the Northumberland and Durham Joint Strike Committee. After the failure of the strike, Arnot returned to the Labour Research Department as its Director of Research and wrote a book on the general strike.
R. Page Arnot was a fixture on the governing Central Committee of the CPGB. He was elected to the Central Committee by the party's 9th Congress in 1927, and returned by the 10th Congress of January 1929, the 11th Congress of December 1929, the 12th Congress of 1932, the 13th Congress of 1935, and the 14th Congress of 1937. He was not among the 24 members elected by the 15th Congress of 1938, however.
Arnot was elected as a delegate to the 6th World Congress of the Communist International, held in Moscow in 1928.
Arnot was a prolific pamphleteer and author and wrote a six volume history of the British mineworkers from 1949 to 1975.
Publications by R. Page Arnot
- Trade Unionism on the Railways: Its History and Problems. With G.D.H. Cole. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1917.
- Nationalisation of the Mines. n.c. [London]: Daily Herald, n.d. [1919].
- Facts from the Coal Commission. Westminster: Labour Research Department, n.d. [1919].
- Further Facts from the Coal Commission: Being a History of the Second Stage of the Coal Industry Commission, with Excerpts from the Evidence. London: Allen and Unwin, n.d. [1919].
- The Russian Revolution: A Narrative and a Guide for Reading. London: Labour Research Department, 1923.
- Fight the Slave Plan: The Dawes Plan Exposed. London: Communist Party of Great Britain, n.d. [c. 1924].
- The Politics of Oil: An Example of Imperialist Monopoly. London: Labour Research Department, 1924.
- The General Strike, May 1926: Its Origin and History. London: Labour Research Department, 1926.
- The General Strike and the Miners' Struggle. London: Labour Research Department, 1926.
- History of the Labour Research Department. London: Labour Research Department, 1926.
- Exit: The Trade Disputes Act. London: Labour Research Department, n.d. [c. 1927].
- Soviet Russia and Her Neighbors. With Jerome Davis. New York: Vanguard Press, 1927.
- How Britain Rules India. London: Communist Party of Great Britain, 1929.
- Slavery or Socialism? London: Communist Party of Great Britain, n.d. [c. 1934].
- William Morris: A Vindication. London: Martin Lawrence, 1934.
- A Short History of the Russian Revolution from 1905 to the Present Day. In Two Volumes. London: Victor Gollancz, 1937.
- Fascist Agents Exposed in the Moscow Trials. London: Communist Party of Great Britain, 1938.
- Twenty Years: The Policy of the Communist Party of Great Britain from its Foundation, July 31st, 1920. London: Lawrence and Wishart, 1940.
- Soviet Leaders: Stalin. Sydney: Current Book Distributors, n.d. [1942].
- 1917-1942: From Tsardom to Soviet Power. London: Russia Today Society, 1942.
- Japan. London: Labour Monthly, n.d. [c. 1942].
- Japan: Strength and Weaknesses. London: Trinity Trust, 1942.
- What is Common Wealth? London: Communist Party of Great Britain, 1943.
- There are No Aryans: A Popular Study of the Bogus Race Doctrines of the Nazis (and Others) in the LIght of Reason and Scientific Facts, with Special Reference to Anti-Semitism. London: Labour Monthly, n.d. [1943]. Australian edition: Sydney: Current Book Distributors, 1944.
- May Day 1945. London: Communist Party of Great Britain, 1945.
- The Miners: A History of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain, 1889-1910. London: Allen and Unwin, 1949.
- Bernard Shaw and William Morris: A Lecture, Given on May 11, 1956. London: William Morris Society, 1957.
- The Impact of the Russian Revolution in Britain. London: Lawrence and Wishart, 1967.
- South Wales Miners, Glowyr de Cymru: A History of the South Wales Miners' Federation (1914–1926). Cardiff : Cymric Federation Press, 1975.
- The Miners: One Union, One Industry: A History of the National Union of Mineworkers, 1939-46. London: Allen and Unwin, 1979.
External links
- R. Page Arnot Archive, Marxists Internet Archive. Retrieved 29 Aug. 2009.
- Works by R. Page Arnot, The Open Library. Retrieved 29 Aug. 2009.