Labour and the Left in the 1930s

by Ben Pimlott

The 1930s was the decade of the Jarrow March and the International Brigade - the 'Red Decade' of literary imagination. Yet there has seldom been a time when the influence of the British Left has been at a lower ebb. Why was this? In this book Ben Pimlott suggests answers, and challenges established myths about left-wing politics during a crucial period. Pimlott's study is concerned with the relationship between ideas and political action. The author is interested in the distinction which can be drawn between 'expressive' and 'instrumental' approaches to political behaviour, and a central theme is that the 'expressive' politics of some sections of the Left had an ironic effect of hindering the achievement of widely shared goals.

Genres: History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 1977

About the author

A professor of modern British political history, Ben Pimlott was professor of contemporary history at Birkbeck College, London, from 1987 to 1998, and warden of Goldsmith's College from 1998 until his death in 2004.

Reviews

[Mark Dodson]

Having read a couple of books about the history of the Labour Party in the past few months (and with an eye towards us likely having a Labour government again by the end of the year), what really stands out is that the party has seemingly always been in a state of civil war.

[Rob M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a detailed study centred on the friction between Labour's National Executive, its Conferences and the factional left organised around Stafford Cripps and The Socialist League. It also contains illuminating analysis of the fall of the ILP and the rise of the CLPs as significant expressions of rank and file pressure. Additionally, a good section of the book is given over to the many abortive efforts made by the far left in Britain to achieve an electoral "Popular Front" against fascism, with a worthwhile and dispassionate assessment of the Left Book Club. For the purposes of this study, the trade unions exist as a sceptical and irritable bloc vote at party conference and their internal dynamics are left unexplored.

The author clearly has a strong empathy with the internal culture of the Labour Party and is able to convey most arguments from multiple angles. It becomes clear, however, that Pimlott believes that left wing campaigns to transform the Labour Party into the spearhead of a militant working class or vehicle for a messianic socialism were wrongheaded, based on a fundamental misjudgement of the unalterably reformist and electoralist outlook of the party.

This book is often referenced in other histories of Britain in the 1930s, and its not hard to see why. The specific territory it covers is addressed in exquisite detail, however someone new to the subject might want to tackle this alongside a more general history of the interwar years.