The Labour Party: A Centenary History

by Brian Brivati (Editor), Richard Heffernan (Editor), Tony Blair (Introduction)

On 27 February 1900, the Labour Representation Committee was formed to campaign for the election of working class representatives to parliament. One hundred years on Labour is in government with an overwhelming majority. This book is a unique opportunity both to celebrate and assess critically the Labour Party's role in shaping events of the twentieth century. It brings together academics from a variety of disciplines to examine the history of the Party's development. Each chapter includes contributions in the form of commentary and analysis from former Labour leaders, cabinet ministers and backbench MPs. Contributors include: Michael Foot, Denis Healey, David Owen, Keith Laybourn, Robert Taylor, Steve Ludlam, Nick Ellison, Clare Short and Austin Mitchell, among others.

Genres: Politics

535 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2000

About the author

Dr Brian Brivati has published extensive work on contemporary British politics with an emphasis on the political history of the British Labour party. His biography of Hugh Gaitskell (Richard Cohen Books, 1996) received 10 book of the year selections. His research and teaching has recently extended to comparative work on genocide and human rights. He speakers regularly for the Holocaust Education Trust. His articles have appeared in the Guardian, the Times, the Financial Times, the Independent on Sunday, the Observer, the New Statesman, Progress, the Fabian Review and Parliamentary Brief. He is a regular broadcaster on political history. He has also written a biography of Lord Goodman (Richard Cohen Books, 1999) and edited The Uncollected Foot: Essays, Old and New, 1953-2003 (Politico's, 2003), Ernest Bevin, single volume edition, by Alan Bullock (Politico's, 2002), Guiding Light: the collected speeches of John Smith (Politico's, 2001), The Labour Party: a Centenary History (Macmillan, 2000), Aneurin Bevan, 1897-1960, single volume edition, by Michael Foot (Victor Gollancz, 1997), and New Labour in Power: precedents and prospects (Routledge, 1997).