Description
Object description
British civilian member of Stepney Branch, Communist Party of Great Britain in London, GB, 1934-1945; Communist Member of Parliament for Mile End, London, GB, 1945-1951
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Stepney, London, GB, 1907-1934: family; education; religious beliefs at home; his knowledge of languages; living condition; sense of communality in Stepney; attitudes of Russian Jewish immigrants; family loyalties; opinion of degree of anti-Semitism in London.
REEL 2 Continues: social attitudes in Jewish community; development of political attitudes; joining Friends of the Soviet Union organisation, 1929; reaction to dumping of fruit from ship in midst of Depression, 1932-1933; his economic circumstances during Depression; activities of Friends of Soviet Union in East London; reports of visitors from Soviet Union during Five Year Plans; his involvement in anti-war movement. Recollections of period as member of Stepney Branch of Communist Party of Great Britain in Stepney, London, GB, 1934-1945: reasons for joining party, 1934; organisation of Stepney Branch of party.
REEL 3 Continues: reasons for growth of Communist Party of Great Britain, 1934; problems of businessmen in Communist Party of Great Britain; character of the Commercial Branch of the Communist Party of Great Britain in central London; activities of Stepney Branch during mid 1930s; aspects of Communist Party of Great Britain sectarianism, 1934; his experiences as councillor on Stepney Council, 1937-1949.
REEL 4 Continues: sources of electoral strength of Communist Party of Great Britain in Stepney including strength amongst tenants; his approach towards British Union of Fascists; reflections on difficulties of getting political ideas across to an audience; memories of Clive Branson speaking to East End audience; memories of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists Olympia meeting as witnessed from outside hall, 1934; his role during Cable Street protests, 4/10/1936.
REEL 5 Continues: background to protests against proposed British Union of Fascists march; tactics employed by Communist Party of Great Britain at time of Cable Street demonstrations, 4/10/1936; Communist Party of Great Britain organisation of Cable Street protest, 4/10/1936; other organisations involved in Cable Street protest, 4/10/1936; use of trams to block streets.
REEL 6 Continues: political geography of Bethnal Green during 1930s; law and order issue presented by British Uniion of Fascists; memories of declaration of Second World War, 3/9/1939; air raid alarm, 3/9/1939; the political problem presented by the outbreak of the Second World War to Communist Party of Great Britain; reception of instruction from Comintern, 10/1939; acceptance of British Government's attitude towards Soviet-Finnish War, 1939.
REEL 7 Continues: his doubts about Communist Party of Great Britain's line after 5/1940; his activities in support of production during the Second World War; saving plans as incentive to production; question of public attitude to equal sacrifices; Communist Party of Great Britain's campaign for deep shelters; occupation of Savoy Hotel shelter, 14/9/1940.
REEL 8 Continues: further details of Savoy Hotel shelter occupation, 14/9/1940; problems with left wingers attitudes towards wartime production; his campaign to get called up for military service; story of his exposure of British Government's failure to call him up at Bedford public meeting.
REEL 9 Continues: opinion of role of Prime Minister Winston Churchill during Second World War. Recollections of period as Communist Member of Parliament for Mile End, London, GB, 1945-1951: national mood during General Election, 7/1945; his electioneering approach during General Election, 7/1945; his disappointment at organising of coal nationalisation; situation of Britain at end of Second World War; Communist Party of Great Britain's strategy towards General Election, 1945.
REEL 10 Continues: announcement of Mile End constituency result and how he received the news, 7/1945; other Communist Party of Great Britain results, 7/1945; his estimation of William Gallagher during the 1945-1951 Parliament.
