Ben Harker is a senior lecturer in twentieth-century literature at the University of Manchester.

"Harker takes us back to a time where it was possible to imagine a different world. Critically sharp, yet avowedly recuperative, he asks us to think again about the enabling agency of the party."- John Green (Morning Star) "Harker’s book is a clever interplay between culture and politics and relevant to those who study the communist movement in the developed West, as well as those who are pondering questions related to the future of the left in the twenty-first century."- Elke Weesjes, The City University of New York (Labour/Le Travail) "Ben Harker has produced a well-researched and engaging account of the history of the Communist Party of Great Britain, seen through the lens of the party’s cultural activity and the ideas that informed its work in this arena. The book is beautifully produced."- Lawrence Parker (Weekly Worker) "This is a significant study, and one that should be read by all those with an interest in either the history British Communism, or the future direction of the political left."- Malcolm Petrie, University of St. Andrews (Scottish Labour History)

• List of Illustrations Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction1. The Chronology of Revolution, 1920–1940 2. Constructive Communists, 1940–1947  3. The British Road to Socialism, 1947–1956 4. The Struggle for Renewal, 1956–19685. The Spectre of Eurocommunism, 1968–1979 Conclusion Notes Index

Ben Harker is a senior lecturer in twentieth-century literature at the University of Manchester.

"Harker takes us back to a time where it was possible to imagine a different world. Critically sharp, yet avowedly recuperative, he asks us to think again about the enabling agency of the party."- John Green (Morning Star) "Harker’s book is a clever interplay between culture and politics and relevant to those who study the communist movement in the developed West, as well as those who are pondering questions related to the future of the left in the twenty-first century."- Elke Weesjes, The City University of New York (Labour/Le Travail) "Ben Harker has produced a well-researched and engaging account of the history of the Communist Party of Great Britain, seen through the lens of the party’s cultural activity and the ideas that informed its work in this arena. The book is beautifully produced."- Lawrence Parker (Weekly Worker) "This is a significant study, and one that should be read by all those with an interest in either the history British Communism, or the future direction of the political left."- Malcolm Petrie, University of St. Andrews (Scottish Labour History)

• List of Illustrations Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction1. The Chronology of Revolution, 1920–1940 2. Constructive Communists, 1940–1947  3. The British Road to Socialism, 1947–1956 4. The Struggle for Renewal, 1956–19685. The Spectre of Eurocommunism, 1968–1979 Conclusion Notes Index

Ben Harker is a senior lecturer in twentieth-century literature at the University of Manchester.

"Harker takes us back to a time where it was possible to imagine a different world. Critically sharp, yet avowedly recuperative, he asks us to think again about the enabling agency of the party."- John Green (Morning Star) "Harker’s book is a clever interplay between culture and politics and relevant to those who study the communist movement in the developed West, as well as those who are pondering questions related to the future of the left in the twenty-first century."- Elke Weesjes, The City University of New York (Labour/Le Travail) "Ben Harker has produced a well-researched and engaging account of the history of the Communist Party of Great Britain, seen through the lens of the party’s cultural activity and the ideas that informed its work in this arena. The book is beautifully produced."- Lawrence Parker (Weekly Worker) "This is a significant study, and one that should be read by all those with an interest in either the history British Communism, or the future direction of the political left."- Malcolm Petrie, University of St. Andrews (Scottish Labour History)

• List of Illustrations Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction1. The Chronology of Revolution, 1920–1940 2. Constructive Communists, 1940–1947  3. The British Road to Socialism, 1947–1956 4. The Struggle for Renewal, 1956–19685. The Spectre of Eurocommunism, 1968–1979 Conclusion Notes Index