What do you think?
Rate this book
The Communist Party of Great Britain and the National Question in Wales, 1920-1991
This book draws on substantial new archival research to present the first in-depth study of the Communist Party's attitude to devolution in Wales, to Welsh nationhood, and Welsh identity, and the party's relationship with labor and nationalist movements as they related to these issues. Douglas Jones sets the inquiry in context of the rapid changes in twentieth-century Welsh society, debates on devolution and identity within the British left, the role of nationalism within the communist movement, and more.
- GenresHistory
320 pages, Hardcover
Published February 15, 2018
1 person is currently reading
13 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 30, 2023
This was a weird one for me. It's been on my to-read list for a while, but it's also something that I was apprehensive about reading as someone from northern England whose first trip to Wales was this month (April 2023).
Still, I was so happy to finally get a copy of this book and read it. I think for anyone interested in Welsh communist history, this is the go-to book on it. For Welsh people, I think this is an especially useful book for learning about the CPGB as it focuses on significant moments in 20th Century Welsh history from the roles of the CPGB.
This includes the strikes of the 1920s and the 'class against class' period to the Popular Front period of the 1930s when the 'National Question' of Wales would first begin to be developed and the immediate post-war periods and the Parliament for Wales Campaigns of the 1950s, leading up to the consultations on Welsh devolution in the 60s and 70s, the 1979 referendum and then ending on the turbulent period of the 80s for the CPGB and Wales in general.
An academic book, but still very easy to read. Just be prepared to make a lot of annotations, this is packed full of historic information. I also liked how there was more of a focus on the relations between communists and nationalists in Wales as it helps provide the backdrop in the conclusions of the campaigns for a Welsh Assembly and the successful referendum in 1997. However I think the positions of Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Language Society are better articulated in the 80s whilst feeling more vague in other periods.
Still, it was very enjoyable and useful to read about the CPGB in Wales, especially individual members, from communist mayors in the Rhondda to North Welsh members riding on bike between villages to try and set up a North Welsh Committee. These individuals also helped provide a lot of discussions the party had on Wales, something I was surprised at. This is also true for their policies on the Welsh language and how the CPGB/Wales Committee consistently emphasised the language, even if this was not shared by rank-and-file members and not necessarily implemented well.
Like I said, this is very informative and for someone with limited knowledge on Welsh history (and even CPGB history to an extent), this is absolutely worth checking out if you're interested in modern Welsh history and the CPGB.
Still, I was so happy to finally get a copy of this book and read it. I think for anyone interested in Welsh communist history, this is the go-to book on it. For Welsh people, I think this is an especially useful book for learning about the CPGB as it focuses on significant moments in 20th Century Welsh history from the roles of the CPGB.
This includes the strikes of the 1920s and the 'class against class' period to the Popular Front period of the 1930s when the 'National Question' of Wales would first begin to be developed and the immediate post-war periods and the Parliament for Wales Campaigns of the 1950s, leading up to the consultations on Welsh devolution in the 60s and 70s, the 1979 referendum and then ending on the turbulent period of the 80s for the CPGB and Wales in general.
An academic book, but still very easy to read. Just be prepared to make a lot of annotations, this is packed full of historic information. I also liked how there was more of a focus on the relations between communists and nationalists in Wales as it helps provide the backdrop in the conclusions of the campaigns for a Welsh Assembly and the successful referendum in 1997. However I think the positions of Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Language Society are better articulated in the 80s whilst feeling more vague in other periods.
Still, it was very enjoyable and useful to read about the CPGB in Wales, especially individual members, from communist mayors in the Rhondda to North Welsh members riding on bike between villages to try and set up a North Welsh Committee. These individuals also helped provide a lot of discussions the party had on Wales, something I was surprised at. This is also true for their policies on the Welsh language and how the CPGB/Wales Committee consistently emphasised the language, even if this was not shared by rank-and-file members and not necessarily implemented well.
Like I said, this is very informative and for someone with limited knowledge on Welsh history (and even CPGB history to an extent), this is absolutely worth checking out if you're interested in modern Welsh history and the CPGB.
November 30, 2024
A comprehensive history of the CPGB's stance on the national question in Wales, and its internal and external struggles to create a programme that would be adopted by the wider movement in Wales and within the labour movement. Its ultimate conclusion that the party failed to have a great impact besides its assistance in founding the Wales TUC is damning but a reality that the Marxist left must reckon with. Comprised of members who were an advanced detachment of the working class itself (party members included shop stewards, union officials and working class politicians amongst others), the party did eventually come to a robust programme for a Welsh parliament through debate and jostling of positions whose contents are outlined toward the end of the book, that still has yet to be realised. This is the remaining legacy of the party's work on the national question, left after the party succumbed to liquidationist tendencies during its crisis in the late 1980s and early 90s.
A vital read for Marxists in Wales, giving a robust understanding of how and why the CPGB struggled to see its painfully birthed visions for Welsh democracy realised.
A vital read for Marxists in Wales, giving a robust understanding of how and why the CPGB struggled to see its painfully birthed visions for Welsh democracy realised.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews