Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Communist Party of Great Britain
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Abstract
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Communist Party of Great Britain (1922-1983) is an artificial collection, collected and assembled by the Tamiment Library over the course of several decades. The collection consists largely of pamphlets put out by the Party, ranging in date from the 1920s-1980s. Also included are printed materials from local branches and districts as well as the youth wing of the Party, known as the Young Communist League.
Historical Note
The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), founded in 1920, functioned as a section of the Moscow-based Communist International, also known as the Comintern. Though small in membership and parliamentary representation, the CPGB was the largest of the communist parties in Britain. The organization played a role in the 1926 General Strike involving much of the trade union movement in England. The CPGB complied with the stance of the Comintern toward Germany during World War II, eventually calling for full support of the Allies. Divisive debates amongst factions occurred within the group throughout the Cold War causing numerous splits. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought the ultimate demise of the CPGB. At the time membership was 6,300, and those who remained eventually broke away to form new communist organizations, none of which attracted large membership. The Communist Party of Britain now claims to be the direct inheritor of the CPGB.
Arrangement
Folders are arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Content Note
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Communist Party of Great Britain (1922-1983) contains a selection of printed material produced by the organization from its founding in 1920 up through the 1980s. The collection consists largely of pamphlets, which are arranged chronologically. Also included are a number of reports, resolutions and statements from the CPGB's National Congresses. There is a small amount of material from various departments and committees, including the Women's Department, the Propaganda Department and the Central and Executive Committees as well as from the youth wing of the group known as the Young Communist League.
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Because of the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the collection. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items in the collection; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from this collection.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date; Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on the Communist Party of Great Britain; PE 037; box number; folder number or item identifier; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials in this collection have been compiled by the Tamiment Library. There is no accession record associated with this collection.
In 2025, materials from accession 2019.056, which is associated with Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on Subjects (PE 029), were transferred to this collection.
Custodial History
The provenance of the materials is varied. Items were obtained through purchases, donations, standing orders with publishers, arrangements with labor unions and other organizations, exchanges with other libraries, and through ongoing collecting by Tamiment staff.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Decisions regarding arrangement, description, and physical interventions for this collection prior to 2025 are unknown.
In 2025, unprocessed materials from the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on Subjects (PE 029) were transferred to this collection and placed in new acid-free folders and boxes. These materials were housed in box Shared Tamiment 191 and integrated into the collection's existing alphabetical file list.
