Stalinism and British Politics
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9880321 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrew Thorpe (0000-0002-3375-0655, University of Exeter, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1998 |
| Volume | 83 |
| Issue | 272 |
| Pages | 608-627 |
| Publication date | 1998-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0018-2648 • E-ISSN: 1468-229X |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/1468-229x.00089 |
| OpenAlex | W1982123860 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
One of the crucial lines of demarcation between the two main parties of the British left in the period between the 1920s and the 1960s was their attitude towards the Soviet Union and, in particular, towards what became known as ‘Stalinism’. The precise effect of these attitudes on the politics of the Communist and Labour parties, however, is often assumed rather than investigated. The Communists were, on the whole, extremely favourable. However, they cannot be described as ‘slaves’ of Moscow. While the influence of the latter was significant, it was not overwhelming. However, the willing self‐identification of the Communists with Stalinism caused the party problems once ‘destalinization’ began in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. Labour was generally anti‐Bolshevik from the start. Although there were enthusiasts for Stalinist Russia, they were essentially isolated and relatively powerless within the party itself. The prevailing Labour suspicion of the USSR and Stalinism was tempered in the early 1930s by enthusiasm for Soviet planning, but even this interest was mitigated by a realization that planning would have to be along radically different lines in a liberal democracy, and by the emergence of alternative paradigms during the 1930s. By the time of Stalin's death in 1953, the lines were very well drawn
Communism · Democracy · Economic history · Enthusiasm · Period (music · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Soviet union · History · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,18 |
| Citation span | 2004 - 2025 (22) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |