Enemy Within: The Rise and Fall of the British Communist Party

by Francis Beckett

A history of the British left and its Communist Party.

Genres: History, Politics

253 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 1995

Reviews

[Animesh Mitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to understand the rise and fall of the British Communist Party. But the author didn’t elaborate on the causes of the failure of the Communist party in the politics of the Great Britain.

[Rob M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, comprehendible history of the old CPGB. The perspective is critical, but not politically prejudiced and the book is by no means a hatchet job. Beckett's overall thesis is that British Communists were largely dedicated, principled, and effective people that were consistently hobbled by the absurd positions forced on them by the needs of the international movement, and the Soviet Union in particular. Despite this view, which is unlikely to please orthodox communists that much, Enemy Within casts the CPGB in a relatively heroic light, lingering on its finer moments and not over-egging its less glorious ones.

Beckett doesn't bother with minutia, but describes in broad stokes the big issues and debates which preoccupied his subjects in their time. For a lay reader looking for a humane, well structured, and concise history of the CPGB, I would recommend this book highly. It will also be a worthwhile read for anyone with an interest in British labour movement more generally. The CP consistently punched above its weight in British labour politics (in sharp contrast to the futility of the various Trotskyist sects) and Enemy Within gives a useful insight to how and why this was.