Manchester University Press - Labour, British radicalism and the First World War

This book provides a concise set of thirteen essays looking at various aspects of the British left, movements of protest and the cumulative impact of the First World War. There are three broad areas this work intends to make a contribution to; the first is to help us further understand the role the Labour Party played in the conflict, and its evolving attitudes towards the war; the second strand concerns the notion of work, and particularly women's work; the third strand deals with the impact of theory and practice of forces located largely outside the United Kingdom. Through these essays this book aims to provide a series of thirteen bite-size analyses of key issues affecting the British left throughout the war, and to further our understanding of it in this critical period of commemoration.

Reviews

'A welcome reminder that the First World War was experienced in myriad ways and with far reaching consequences. ... A thought-provoking and worthwhile read.'
Social History

'This collection certainly extends our knowledge of the changing landscape of British radicalism and socialism during the war and is an excellent addition to our growing knowledge of the First World War.'
Labour History Review

Introduction - Lucy Bland and Richard Carr
1 Peace, but not at any price: British socialists' calls for peace on the eve of World War One - Marcus Morris
2 At the crossroads: the Labour Party, the trade unions and the choices of direction for the democratic Left - Chris Wrigley
3 'One of the most revolutionary proposals that has ever been put before the House': the passage of the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Act 1918 - Mari Takayanagi
4 Labour and socialism during the Great War in Bristol and Northampton - Matthew Kidd
5 A stronghold of liberalism? The north-east Lancashire cotton weaving districts and the First World War - Jack Southern
6 Living through war, waging peace: comparing Mary Macarthur and Sylvia Pankhurst - Deborah Thom
7 'Industrial unionism for women': Ellen Wilkinson and the unionisation of shop workers, 1915-18 - Matt Perry
8 The unsung heroines of radical wartime activism: gender, militarism and collective action in the British Women's Corps - Krisztina Robert
9 Charlie Chaplin's war: a British radical in tumultuous times - Richard Carr
10 Irish Labour and the 'Cooperative Commonwealth' in the era of the Great War - Marc Mulholland
11 Russia's war and revolutions as seen by Morgan Philips Price and Arthur Henderson - Jonathan Davis
12 The Stanford connection: David Starr Jordan, eugenics and the Anglo-American anti-war movement - Gavin Baird and Bradley W. Hart
13 The problem of war aims and the Treaty of Versailles - John Callaghan
Index

Editors

Lucy Bland is Professor of Social and Cultural History at Anglia Ruskin University

Richard Carr is Senior Lecturer in History and Politics at Anglia Ruskin University