The British Communist Party Historians’ Group:1946-56

The British Communist Party Historians’ Group was one of the most energetic organizations in the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). Discussing the revised edition of A.L. Morton’s A People’s History of England in1946resulted in the launching of the British Communist Party Historians’ Group. The British Communist Party Historians’Group made use of Marxism to re-interpret the history during1946-56, and had academic and political missions, acting as both historian and communist. Although the members of the Historians’Group seemed to be less aware of apparent conflicts and contradictions between the academic and politics during1946-56, they began to realize these difficulties as both historian and communist when the Soviet Union opened the20th Congress and reported the Secret Speech in1956. After the S.U. army invaded the Hungary, many distinguished members of the Historians’Group broke up with the CPGB finally, leading to the end of the ten years great success.Chapter one "The Making of the British Communist Party Historians’Group" explores the making of the Historians’ Group from the perspectives of historical background, the theoretical origins of Historians’Group, and members and organization of the Historians’ Group. The Historians’Group dated back to1930s, and the Marxism was transmitted to Britain during the period of Popular Front. The members of the Group ranged from professional to amateur, centering on the committee of the historians.In the second chapter "the journals of the British Communist Party Historians’ Group", the Historians’ Group encouraged the members to write articles and books and spread their Marxism interpretation of history by means of network of journals as widely as possible. The author distinguishes the journals of CPGB and others, and explores the two most important journals connecting with the Historians’Group-Local History Bulletins (later Our History) and Past&Present. The author analyzes the historical development, main concept and influence of these two journals.The third chapter "The Historical Interpretation of the British Communist Party Historians’Group" concerns the interpretation of history made by the Historians’ Group. The Historians" Group re-interpreted the history from the standpoint of Marxist, especially the British history, which was different from the historical explanation of bourgeois historians. The author summarizes the role and historical activities of the Historians" Group systematically according to the Historians" Group Committee minute books in the third chapter. What’s more, the author analyzes the related articles and books of the members. All of these prove that the Historians’ Group has academic and political role.Chapter four "The Crisis of1956and Changes of the British Communist Party Historians" Group" is mainly about the influence of the crisis of1956to the Historians" Group. With the continuous influence of the20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union held and the Secret Report published in1956on Communist Party of Great Britain, the British Communist Party Historians’ Group appealed for public and free discussion, and democratic reformation of the Party. However, the leadership of the Party followed the Soviet Union unconditionally and prevented from free discussion. The British Communist Party Historians’ Group was no longer follow the Communist Party of Great Britain, realized the conflict between the politics and academic, and many of the famous and influential members of the Group left the Party, which resulted in the end of the ten-year flourish of the Group. We can say that the crisis of1956was the watershed of Historians’ Group. Therefore, the thesis regards1956as the end.The Historians’ Group has important position in the development of British Marxist Historiography. The Historians’ Group was the connection between the Popular Front and the "New Left", and it made the British Marxist theory continued, extended and renewed. The Historians’ Group was the period of establishing the British Marxist tradition, and was the incubator for the development of British Marxist Historiography. Its members included many excellent British Marxist historians, for example, C.Hill, E.J.Hobsbawm, R.Hilton, E.P.Thompson, D.Thompson, J.Saville and R.Samuel. With the impetus of the Historians’ Group, the British Marxist Historiography became stronger and stronger, and played an important role in contemporary history community, which could compare with the French Annales School.