Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1954-1999 (Creation)
Level of description
Sub-series
Extent and medium
1 box, 3 folders
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was founded in 1920 when various socialist and Marxist groups united. The British Road to Socialism was their programme which was adopted in 1951 and later revised. The Daily Worker, the party's official mouthpiece, was first published in 1930, and was distributed by volunteers daily. It was renamed the Morning Star in 1966.
Membership of the Communist Party fluctuated greatly, being at its high point during the General Strike, 1926 and also during the Second World War. The party weakened following the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956 and following the collapse of the Communist government in the Soviet Union. Communist candidates stood in local elections and also in general elections with limited success - between 1922 and 1951 the Communist Party had at most two MPs.
Following a Special Congress in 1991, the Communist Party Great Britain formally ceased to exist and was transformed into the Democratic Left. The Communist Party Britain (CPB), which also grew out of the CPGB, was formed c. 1988.
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The sub-series comprises printed items, 1954-1999, concerning the Communist Party.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Arranged chronologically by and within each file.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Preferred citation: C1/6