152-576: The Jarrow March of 5–31 October 1936, also known as the Jarrow Crusade , was an organised protest against the unemployment and poverty suffered in the English town of Jarrow during the 1930s. Around 200 men, or "Crusaders" as they preferred to be called, marched from Jarrow to London, carrying a petition to the British government requesting the re-establishment of industry in the town following
304-483: A means test on unemployment benefits. Anger at the means test was the rationale for the 1932 hunger march , in which a series of rallies and demonstrations across London broke out into considerable violence; the leaders provoked clashes with opponents and police in Hyde Park, Trafalgar Square and Westminster which led to the arrest and imprisonment of the march's leaders. Although women were not allowed to march on
456-437: A brief boom. Businesses rushed to replenish stocks and re-establish peacetime conditions of trade and, while prices rose rapidly, wages rose faster and unemployment was negligible. By April 1920 this boom had given way to Britain's first post-war slump, which ushered in an era of high unemployment. Britain's adoption of generally deflationary economic policies, including a return to the gold standard in 1925, helped to ensure that
608-525: A coalfield were unhappy. Living conditions in many of the hastily erected cottages were insanitary, lacking water and drainage. There was a serious outbreak of cholera in Jarrow and northeast England in the winter of 1831–32, as part of an epidemic that spread from Europe and resulted in more than 200 deaths in Newcastle alone. Relations in Jarrow between employer and employee were poor; workers were held by
760-611: A combination of the names of Stalin ("man of steel" in Russian) and Harry Pollitt. The group around Straight Left exerted considerable influence in the trade union movement, CND , the Anti-Apartheid Movement and amongst some Labour MPs. Under the influence of Eric Hobsbawm on the opposing wing of the party, Martin Jacques became the editor of the party's theoretical journal Marxism Today and rapidly made it
912-467: A crisis in 1968 when Warsaw Pact forces invaded Czechoslovakia . The CPGB, with memories of 1956 in mind, responded with some very mild criticism of Moscow, refusing to call it an invasion, preferring "intervention". Three days after the invasion, John Gollan said "we completely understand the concern of the Soviet Union about the security of the socialist camp ... we speak as true friends of
1064-474: A dead set to prevent anything of the kind being done in the area". "And, if ... [the Jarrow steelworks] is not going to happen, does that mean that the Government, who have created a practical monopoly in the steel trade and have given the trade everything that it wants, are now going to say that Lord Furness is going to have the monopoly of that steel trade, and the firms he controls are going to have
1216-621: A drop of 7.5%. Jarrow is twinned with the following towns, under the umbrella of the South Tyneside town-twinning project which saw individual twinning projects brought together in 1974: Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain ( CPGB ) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined
1368-506: A factor that led Riley to refuse a donation of £20 from a communist group, stating: "We are determined at all costs to preserve the non-political character of this Crusade". At Harrogate Wilkinson rejoined the march, as it proceeded through southern Yorkshire towards Chesterfield in Derbyshire . The march was attracting wide publicity. In London the government worried that King Edward might exceed his constitutional limits and receive
1520-670: A federation of left-wing bodies, only having allowed individual membership since 1918. However, despite the support of James Maxton , the Independent Labour Party leader, the Labour Party decided against the affiliation of the Communist Party. Even while pursuing affiliation and seeking to influence Labour Party members, however, the CPGB promoted candidates of its own at parliamentary elections. Following
1672-642: A grade II listed building and significant local landmark. The world's oldest complete Bible, written in Latin to be presented to the then Pope (Gregory II), was produced at this monastery – the Codex Amiatinus . It is currently safeguarded in the Laurentian Library , Florence, Italy. Originally three copies of the Bible were commissioned by Ceolfrid in 692. This date has been established as
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#17327651839751824-523: A key blue-collar union. In addition, much of the Labour Party left was strongly influenced by the party. Dissidents were few, perhaps the most notable being Eric Heffer , the future Labour MP who left the party in the late 1940s. In 1954, the party solidified its opposition to British racial segregation , with the publication of A Man's a Man: A Study of the Colour Bar in Birmingham . Although
1976-490: A more substantial project to bring industry back to Jarrow was under consideration. An American entrepreneur, T. Vosper Salt, became aware of the impending sale and break-up of Palmer's yard. He was convinced that the world demand for steel was about to rise, and thought that the site, with its ready-made docking and rail facilities, would be ideal for a new, modern steelworks. In January 1934, when an initial feasibility study report had proved favourable, Salt began discussions with
2128-467: A name coined by the press in 1908, when a group of London's unemployed marched to Hyde Park . The 1922 marchers sought a meeting with the new prime minister, Bonar Law , who refused to see them because of their undemocratic leadership. The march leaders were denounced in The Times as "avowed Communists ... who have been identified with disturbances in their own localities". The Labour Party and
2280-645: A part of the Meerut Conspiracy Case . Their trial helped to raise British public awareness of British colonialism in India , and caused massive public outrage over their treatment. At the same time, Asian and African delegates to the Comintern such as Ho Chi Minh , M. N. Roy , and Sen Katayama criticized the GBCP for neglecting colonial issues in India and Ireland . But this support built during
2432-454: A programme, The British Road to Socialism (officially adopted at the 22nd Congress in April 1952), which explicitly advocated the possibility of a peaceful transition to socialism – but only after it had been personally approved by Joseph Stalin himself, according to some historians. The BRS would remain the programme of the CPGB until its dissolution in 1991 albeit in amended form and today
2584-554: A severe critic of socialism and trade unionism, described the march as "revolutionary mob pressure", and regretted his colleague's association with "these fatuous demonstrations, which are mainly designed in the interest, not of the Unemployed, but of the Labour party". As Jarrow's representatives prepared to leave, six regional contingents of the sixth National Hunger March were taking the road to London, where they were due to arrive
2736-464: A sinking ship. According to the Party's official historian , this period was marked by a growing division between the practitioners of cultural politics – heavily inspired by the writings of Antonio Gramsci and party's powerful industrial department which advocated a policy of militant labourism . The cultural politics wing had dominated the party's youth wing in the 1960s and was also powerful in
2888-598: A slow decline from their Victorian heyday. Because of the concentration of these industries in the north of England, in Scotland and in Wales , the percentage of unemployed persons in these regions was significantly higher, sometimes more than double, than in the south throughout the interwar period. The decline of these industries helped to create pockets of long-term unemployment outside the normal cyclical variations . Some workers had no work for years. In 1921, in reaction to
3040-572: A week after the Jarrow marchers. A group of blind veterans, organised by the National League of the Blind and Disabled , was also on the march, demanding better allowances for the country's 67,000 blind persons. After the service of dedication, the marchers left Jarrow Town Hall , cheered on by most of the town and bearing banners announcing themselves as the "Jarrow Crusade". By the following weekend they had travelled 69 mi (111 km) to
3192-660: A weekend's rest, the marchers proceeded to Harrogate . In this solidly Conservative, prosperous town the marchers were greeted warmly by the civic authorities and were fed by the Rotary Club . They were given sleeping quarters by the Territorial Army , a change from the school and church halls, and occasional workhouse accommodation, that was provided at most overnight stops. It was becoming evident that local Conservatives were often as likely to provide practical assistance as Labour, whose local parties were constrained by
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#17327651839753344-501: Is a great deal of humming and ha'ing, and they are not quite sure". Meanwhile, the BISF argued that increased steel production should be achieved by expanding capacity in existing facilities, rather than by building new plant. Duncan, in a reversal of his earlier attitude, now opposed the provision of finance for Jarrow which, he felt, might create a precedent that other distressed areas could exploit. The BISF finally succeeded in watering down
3496-502: Is mainly due to boundary changes. The fact that only 2.9% of Jarrow's population is non White British , makes Jarrow the least ethnically diverse major urban subdivision in Tyneside and less ethnically diverse than its surrounding borough, South Tyneside . Jarrow contains areas such as Fellgate and Hedworth, which border onto Greenbelt in the south of the town, which have very high White British populations. In South Tyneside, 5.0% of
3648-458: Is nothing to be gained by giving Jarrow the impression that Palmer's can be revived". He continued: "Would it not be very much better to make a clean sweep of that as a shipyard, and throw open to the world for sale what is one of the finest and most convenient sites anywhere in Europe?" Despite efforts by management and workers to find an alternative solution, in the early summer of 1934 NSS acquired
3800-496: Is some evidence that they stimulated interest in regenerating 'distressed areas'. 1938 saw the establishment of a ship breaking yard and engineering works in the town, followed by the creation of a steelworks in 1939. The Jarrow rail disaster was a train collision that occurred on the 17 December 1915 at the Bede junction on a North Eastern Railway line. The collision was caused by a signalman's error and seventeen people died in
3952-605: Is the programme of the breakaway Communist Party of Britain . From the war years to 1956 the CPGB was at the height of its influence in the labour movement with many union officials who were members. Not only did it have immense influence in the National Union of Mineworkers but it was extremely influential in the Electrical Trade Union and in the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers ,
4104-482: The 1950 general election . The Party was keen to demonstrate its loyalty to Britain's industrial competitiveness as a stepping point towards socialism. At the 19th Congress, Harry Pollitt asked rhetorically, "Why do we need to increase production?" He answered: "To pay for what we are compelled to import. To retain our independence as a nation." The party's membership peaked during 1943, reaching around 60,000. Despite boasting some leading intellectuals, especially among
4256-547: The British Iron and Steel Federation (BISF), a steel producers' organisation formed that year as part of the National Government's rationalisation of the iron and steel industry. The British steel industry was protected from more efficient foreign competition by the government's high tariff wall. The BISF, through its control of pricing, could also present a united front against new competition at home. When
4408-550: The Communist International was committed to implementing the decisions of the higher body to which it was subordinate. This proved to be a mixed blessing in the General Strike of 1926 immediately prior to which much of the central leadership of the CPGB was imprisoned. Twelve were charged with " seditious conspiracy ". Five were jailed for a year and the others for six months. Another major problem for
4560-566: The Communist Party Historians Group , the party was still tiny compared to its continental European counterparts. The French Communist Party for instance had 800,000 members, and the Italian Communist Party had 1.7 million members, before Benito Mussolini outlawed it in 1926. The Party tried, unsuccessfully, to affiliate to the Labour Party in 1935, 1943 and 1946. In 1951, the party issued
4712-776: The Communist Party of Britain , which still exists today. The Communist Party of Great Britain was founded in 1920 after the Third International decided that greater attempts should be made to establish communist parties across the world. The CPGB was formed by the merger of several smaller Marxist parties, including the British Socialist Party , the Communist Unity Group of the Socialist Labour Party and
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4864-573: The Labour Party and Trades Union Congress (TUC) leaderships stood aloof from these marches. They exercised the same policy of detachment towards the Jarrow March, which was organised by the borough council with the support of all sections of the town but without any connection with the NUWM. During their journey the Jarrow marchers received sustenance and hospitality from local branches of all
5016-545: The Liberal Party introducing a motion to establish an inquiry into the Labour government, which led to its resignation. The affair of the forged Zinoviev Letter occurred during the subsequent general election late October 1924. Intended to suggest that the Communist Party in Britain was engaged in subversive activities among the British Armed Forces and elsewhere, the forgery's aim was to promote
5168-588: The Member of Parliament Cecil L'Estrange Malone joined the CPGB. A few days after the founding conference the new party published the first issue of its weekly newspaper, which was called the Communist and edited by Raymond Postgate . In January 1921, the CPGB was refounded after the majorities of Sylvia Pankhurst 's group the Communist Party (British Section of the Third International) , and
5320-785: The South Wales Socialist Society . The party also gained the support of the Guild Communists faction of the National Guilds League , assorted shop stewards ' and workers' committees, socialist clubs and individuals and many former members of the Hands Off Russia campaign. Several branches and many individual members of the Independent Labour Party also affiliated. As a member of the British Socialist Party,
5472-552: The TUC kept aloof, fearful of being tainted by association with the communist organisers. The same pattern was followed with subsequent NUWM marches; successive prime ministers— Stanley Baldwin in 1929, Ramsay MacDonald in 1930 and 1934—declined to meet the marchers' representatives, and the Labour Party and the TUC continued to keep their distance. In 1931, MacDonald became head of a Conservative -dominated National Government that imposed
5624-498: The TUC's policy of opposing the Industrial Relations Act . In the view of their opponents on the cultural or Eurocommunist wing, they were out of touch with the real changes in working people's lives and attitudes. As the seventies progressed and as industrial militancy declined in the face of high unemployment, the tensions in the party rose even as its membership continued to decline. By 1977, debate around
5776-641: The Vietnam War . In 1984, the leader of the CPGB's youth wing, Mark Ashton , founded Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners . From 1956 until the late 1970s, the party was funded by the Soviet Union . After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the party's Eurocommunist leadership disbanded the party, establishing the Democratic Left . In 1988 the anti-Eurocommunist faction launched
5928-554: The general election of November 1935 , when she won the seat with a majority of 2,360. In the opening debate of the new parliamentary session, on 9 December 1935, she pleaded on behalf of her new constituents: "These are skilled fitters, men who have built destroyers and battleships and the finest passenger ships ... The years go on and nothing is done ... this is a desperately urgent matter and something should be done to get work to these areas which, Heaven knows, want work." While Jarvis's palliative measures were being developed,
6080-592: The independence of colonies was emphasised. In the 1945 general election , the Communist Party received 103,000 votes, and two Communists were elected as members of parliament : Willie Gallacher was returned, and Phil Piratin was newly elected as the MP for Mile End in London's East End . Harry Pollitt failed by only 972 votes to take the Rhondda East constituency. Both Communist MPs, however, lost their seats in
6232-592: The streets the party members played a leading role in the struggle against the British Union of Fascists , led by Sir Oswald Mosley whose Blackshirts tried to emulate the Nazis in anti-Semitic actions in London and other major British cities. The Communist Party's Oxford branch under the leadership of Abraham Lazarus managed to successfully contain and defeat the rise of fascism in the city of Oxford, forcing
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6384-475: The "adoption" of Jarrow by the county of Surrey, and promised to bring new industries to the town; he mentioned ship breaking , bottle manufacture and furniture-making. While acknowledging the generous principle behind Jarvis's scheme, Betty Vernon, the biographer of Jarrow politician Ellen Wilkinson, described it as ultimately superficial, offering little more than patchwork assistance. Blythe observes: "This excellent man failed, as anyone must fail who tries to play
6536-451: The "bond" system whereby they were tied to a particular employer for a year, whether or not that employer could provide work. Working conditions in the mines were dangerous: there were explosions in 1826, 1828 and 1845, each with large loss of life. Attempts by workers to organise into a trade union were fiercely opposed by the employers. Miners conducted lengthy strikes in 1832 and 1844, each ending when hunger forced them back to work. After
6688-582: The 1923 Labour Party Conference . In 1923, the party renamed its newspaper as the Workers Weekly . In 1923, the Workers' Weekly published a letter by J. R. Campbell urging British Army soldiers not to fire on striking workers. The Labour government of Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald prosecuted him under the Incitement to Disaffection Act but withdrew the charges upon review. This led to
6840-518: The Bishop of Durham was gratified and the marchers correspondingly disappointed, when in a letter to The Times the Bishop of Jarrow denied that his blessing on the march had indicated his support for the venture. The blessing was, he said an act of Christian duty. In general he believed that such marches should be discouraged. Wilkinson was forgiving of the bishop's volte-face, knowing, she later said, "the difficulties he had to face". The third week of
6992-641: The Blackshirts to retreat from the town and into the relative safety of Oxford University after the Battle of Carfax . With the beginning of the Second World War in 1939, the CPGB initially continued to support the struggle on two fronts (against Chamberlain at home and Nazi fascism abroad). Following the Molotov–Ribbentrop nonaggression pact on 23 August between the Soviet Union and Germany,
7144-603: The CPGB by 1963. McCreery himself died in New Zealand in 1965. Later a more significant group formed around Reg Birch , an engineering union official, established the Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist) . Initially, this group supported the position of the Chinese Communist Party during the Sino-Soviet split. Divisions in the CPGB concerning the autonomy of the party from Moscow reached
7296-668: The CPGB followed the Comintern position, opposing or supporting the war in line with the involvement of the USSR. By the end of World War II, CPGB membership had nearly tripled and the party reached the height of its popularity. Many key CPGB members served as leaders of Britain's trade union movement, including most notably Jessie Eden , David Ivon Jones , Abraham Lazarus , Ken Gill , Clem Beckett , GCT Giles , Mike Hicks , and Thora Silverthorne . The CPGB's position on racial equality and anti-colonialism attracted many black activists to
7448-793: The CPGB in the 1926 general strike . In 1930, the CPGB founded the Daily Worker (renamed the Morning Star in 1966). In 1936, members of the party were present at the Battle of Cable Street , helping organise resistance against the British Union of Fascists . In the Spanish Civil War , the CPGB worked with the USSR to create the British Battalion of the International Brigades , which party activist Bill Alexander commanded. In World War II ,
7600-415: The CPGB was very active in supporting strikes and in denouncing the government for its pursuit of the war. However, when in 1941 the Soviet Union was invaded by Germany , the CPGB came out in support of the war on the grounds of defense of the Soviet Union against fascism. Pollitt was restored to his former position as Party Secretary. The party then launched a campaign for a Second Front in order to support
7752-414: The CPGB's only representative in Parliament was in the House of Lords , gained when Wogan Philipps , the son of a ship-owner and a long-standing member of the CPGB inherited the title of Lord Milford when his father died in 1963. The Daily Worker was renamed the Morning Star in 1966. At the same time, the party became increasingly polarised between those who sought to maintain close relations with
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#17327651839757904-446: The Comintern changed its position, describing the war as the product of imperialism on both sides, in which the working class had no side to take. The CPGB central committee followed the directive, changing to an anti-war stance. This change was opposed by Harry Pollitt and J. R. Campbell , the editor of the Daily Worker , and both were relieved of their duties in October 1939. Pollitt was replaced by Palme Dutt . From 1939 until 1941
8056-411: The Communists had always opposed both racial segregation and British colonialism, this publication made clearer the party's position, and also had an enduring influence on British anti-racist politics outside the party. The death of Stalin in 1953, and the uprising in East Germany the same year had little direct influence on the CPGB, but they were harbingers of what was to come. Of more importance
8208-400: The English People and the translation of the Gospel of John into Old English . Along with the abbey at Wearmouth, Jarrow became a centre of learning and had the largest library north of the Alps , primarily due to the widespread travels of Benedict Biscop , its founder. In 794 Jarrow became the second target in England of the Vikings , who had plundered Lindisfarne in 793. The monastery
8360-424: The Inter-Hospital Socialist Society agreed to accompany the march as medical attendants. A fund was begun, with an initial target of £800, to meet the costs of the march; ultimately, nearly double that amount was raised, locally and on the route. Public meetings were planned for the overnight stops, to publicise the plight of Jarrow and of other areas like it. One marcher explained: "We were more or less missionaries of
8512-408: The Jarrow march, women's contingents were present at other hunger marches across the 1930s. These women, who were often the wives of unemployed men, were often faced with restrictions, such as being forced to stay in workhouses if the local Labour Party would not accommodate them. Two additional national marches were held in 1934 and 1936. By this time the country had made a substantial recovery from
8664-475: The Labour Party and even with forces to the right of Labour. In the 1935 general election Willie Gallacher was elected as the Communist Party's first MP in six years, and their first MP elected against Labour opposition. Gallacher sat for West Fife in Scotland , a coal mining region in which it had considerable support. During the 1930s the CPGB opposed the National Government 's European policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy . On
8816-437: The National Women's Advisory Committee. Martin Jacques , on the executive committee since 1967, replaced James Klugmann as editor of Marxism Today in 1977. Its turn to Eurocommunism was prefigured by what Andrews describes as Sarah Benton's "radical and heretical" stint as editor of the fortnightly review Comment . Critics from the past, like Eric Hobsbawm and Monty Johnstone, also gained influence. The Euro-Communists in
8968-422: The Scottish Communist Labour Party agreed to unity. The party benefited from a period of increased political radicalism in Britain just after the First World War and the Russian Revolution of October 1917 , and was also represented in Britain by the Red Clydeside movement. During the negotiations leading to the initiation of the party, a number of issues were hotly contested. Among the most contentious were
9120-459: The Soviet Union and those who sought to convert the party into a force independent of Moscow. The Sino-Soviet split in 1961 led to divisions within many Communist Parties but there was little pro-Beijing sympathy in the relatively small British Party. Perhaps the best known of the tiny minority of CPGB members who opposed the Moscow line was Michael McCreery, who formed the Committee to Defeat Revisionism, for Communist Unity . This tiny group left
9272-400: The Soviet Union". Even this response provoked a small localised split by the so-called Appeal Group which was in many respects a precursor of the 1977 split which formed the New Communist Party . From this time onwards, the most traditionally-minded elements in the CPGB were referred to as ' Tankies ' by their internal opponents, due to their support of the Warsaw Pact forces. Others within
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#17327651839759424-417: The USSR and speed the defeat of the Axis powers . In industry, they now opposed strike action and supported the Joint Production Committees, which aimed to increase productivity, and supported the National Government that was led by Winston Churchill (Conservative) and Clement Attlee (Labour). At the same time, given the influence of Rajani Palme Dutt in the Party, the issue of Indian independence and
9576-413: The Welsh miners, fought off attempts to found a similar union on his patch. But even if the Third Period was by all conventional standards a total political failure it was the 'heroic' period of British communism and one of its campaigns did have impact beyond its ranks. This was the National Unemployed Workers' Movement led by Wal Hannington . Increasing unemployment had caused a substantial increase in
9728-440: The apparent decrease in Jarrow's unemployment figures arose from the amalgamation of the figures of Jarrow with those of neighbouring South Shields , and did not represent an increase in employment. She asked Baldwin whether he would break with tradition and meet a deputation of the marchers; the prime minister declined. On the penultimate stage, from St Albans to Edgware , as the march neared its end, marchers began to contemplate
9880-404: The attitude of the party's national leadership. The marchers' claim that theirs was a unique situation, arising from specific actions, the closing of the shipyard and the blocking of the proposed steelworks, that could be remedied by immediate government action, may also have alienated local working-class communities. Cross-party support was important in maintaining the march's non-partisan ethos,
10032-471: The cathedral city of Ripon , where they were welcomed by the Bishop of Ripon and a delegation representing local churches. Receptions at the intervening stops had been mixed: lukewarm at Chester-le-Street , warm and friendly from the people in Ferryhill and also from the Conservative-controlled council in Darlington . Wilkinson had left the march at Chester-le-Street to attend the Labour Party's annual conference, taking place in Edinburgh . The conference
10184-405: The closure in 1934 of its main employer, Palmer's shipyard . The petition was received by the House of Commons but not debated, and the march produced few immediate results. The Jarrovians went home believing that they had failed. Jarrow had been a settlement since at least the 8th century. In the early 19th century, a coal industry developed before the establishment of the shipyard in 1851. Over
10336-498: The coalfields, certain industrial cities such as Glasgow and in Jewish East London . Indeed, Maerdy in the Rhondda Valley along with Chopwell in Tyne and Wear were two of a number of communities known as Little Moscow for their Communist tendencies. During the 1920s, the CPGB clandestinely worked to train the future leaders of India's first communist party. Some of the key activists charged with this task, Philip Spratt and Ben Bradley , were later arrested and convicted as
10488-437: The collision. The Second World War revived the town's fortunes as the Royal Navy was in need of ships to be built. After 1945 the shipbuilding industries were nationalised. The last shipyard in the town closed in 1980. In August 2014 a group of mothers from Darlington organised a march from Jarrow to London to oppose the privatisation of the NHS . The march took place in September 2014 and 3,000–5,000 people participated in
10640-428: The confluence of the Tyne and the Don ). The place-name would normally have developed into Yarrow in modern English, but as with Jesmond , Norman influence resulted in the initial / j / becoming / dʒ / . The Monastery of Paul of Tarsus in Jarrow, part of the twin foundation Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey , was once the home of The Venerable Bede , whose most notable works include Ecclesiastical History of
10792-415: The description "Amiatinus"), where it remained until 1786 when it passed to the Laurentian Library in Florence . Jarrow remained a small mid-Tyne town until the introduction of heavy industries such as coal mining and shipbuilding . Charles Mark Palmer established a shipyard – Palmer's Shipbuilding and Iron Company – in 1852 and became the first armour-plate manufacturer in the world. John Bowes ,
10944-534: The distressed areas, [not just] Jarrow". On Monday 5 October the marchers, selected from over 1,200 volunteers, attended an ecumenical dedication service in Christ Church, Jarrow, where the blessing was given by James Gordon , the Bishop of Jarrow . This apparent endorsement by a senior cleric gained considerable press attention, but earned a sharp response from Hensley Henson , the Bishop of Durham . Henson,
11096-577: The double monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow secured a grant of additional land to raise the 2000 head of cattle needed to produce the vellum for the Bible's pages. Saint Ceolfrid accompanied one copy (originally intended for Gregory I) on its journey to be presented to Gregory II, but he died en route to Rome. The book later appears in the ninth century in the Abbey of the Saviour, Monte Amiata in Tuscany (hence
11248-466: The easier seams of coal were exhausted, the Jarrow pits became less profitable, and in 1851 the owners abandoned them altogether. Jarrow began its development as a shipbuilding town with the establishment in 1851 of Palmer's shipyard on the banks of the River Tyne . The first ship from the yard was launched in 1852, an iron-built and steam-powered collier . Many more such carriers followed. In 1856
11400-773: The electoral chances of the Conservative Party in the general election of 29 October; it was probably the work of SIS (MI6) or White Russian counter-revolutionaries . After Labour lost to the Conservative Party in the election, it blamed the Zinoviev Letter for its defeat. In the aftermath of the Campbell Case and the Zinoviev letter, Labour expelled Communist Party members and banned them from running as its parliamentary candidates in
11552-479: The event. Jarrow's needs for secondary education are currently served by Jarrow School , formerly Springfield Comprehensive. Springfield was merged with another of Jarrow's secondary schools, Hedworthfield Comprehensive at Fellgate, following a gradual reduction of the number of new pupils for the yearly intake of 11-year-olds to the point where keeping both schools open was no longer viable. As of 2008 plans to revamp Jarrow School have come into action. Building work
11704-479: The events for which Jarrow is best known. Jarrow is marked in history as the starting point in 1936 of the Jarrow March to London to protest against unemployment in Britain. Jarrow Member of Parliament (MP) Ellen Wilkinson wrote about these events in her book The Town That Was Murdered (1939). Some doubt has been cast by historians as to how effective events such as the Jarrow March actually were but there
11856-426: The existing organisations of the working class. Lenin argued that if such organisations gained power, they would demonstrate that they were not really on the side of the working class, thus workers would become disillusioned and come over to supporting the Communist Party. Lenin's opinion prevailed eventually. Initially, therefore, the CPGB attempted to work within the Labour Party, which at this time operated mainly as
12008-597: The feasibility report was received by the BISF in March 1935 the Federation's chairman, Sir Andrew Duncan, at first reacted positively. His members from the north-east were rather less enthusiastic. Only one of the large steel firms in the region, the Consett Iron Company , offered support for a Jarrow steelworks, while other BISF members put pressure on London's financial institutions to withhold capital from
12160-428: The final day, a week hence. The leg on Monday 26 October, from Northampton to Bedford , was the longest daily march—21 mi (34 km). Of the original contingent, 185 were still on the road, together with 10 replacements. To maintain the timetable for arrival at Marble Arch , the marchers took an extra rest day on Tuesday before marching, in teeming rain, the 19 mi (31 km) to Luton . On 29 October, as
12312-598: The first iron screw collier, revived the Tyne coal trade, and Palmer's was also responsible for the first modern cargo ship, as well as a number of notable warships. Around 1,000 ships were built at the yard, they also produced small fishing boats to catch eel within the River Tyne, a delicacy at the time. Jarrow Town Hall was erected in Grange Road and officially opened in 1904. Palmer's employed as much as 80% of
12464-489: The following 80 years, more than 1,000 ships were launched in Jarrow. In the 1920s, a combination of mismanagement and changed world trade conditions following the First World War brought a decline which led eventually to the yard's closure. Plans for its replacement by a modern steelworks plant were frustrated by opposition from the British Iron and Steel Federation , an employers' organisation with its own plans for
12616-416: The future. After the 1926 British general strike , it also disbanded 26 Constituency Labour Parties which resisted the ruling or were otherwise deemed too sympathetic to the Communist Party. Throughout the 1920s and most of the 1930s, the CPGB decided to maintain the doctrine that a communist party should consist of revolutionary cadres and not be open to all applicants. The CPGB as the British section of
12768-513: The good squire to a town of nearly forty thousand people". In the 1931 general election , in the nationwide rout of Labour, the Jarrow constituency was won by the National Government's candidate, William Pearson , a Conservative borough councillor and former mayor. In 1932, when the mood in Jarrow was desperate—"a workhouse without walls" according to one commentator—the local Labour Party selected Ellen Wilkinson as its parliamentary candidate for
12920-579: The green hill, sloping to the bay, the long silvery expanse of water, the gentle ripple of the advancing tide ... Jarrow is 'a romancy spot'." Robert Surtees describing pre-industrial Jarrow, in his history of the County of Durham (1820). Jarrow , situated on the River Tyne in County Durham , northern England, entered British history in the 8th century, as the home of Bede , the early Christian monk and scholar. After Bede, little changed in
13072-607: The grounds that communists should not work with 'reformist' Social Democratic parties. These Left Communist positions enjoyed considerable support, being supported by Sylvia Pankhurst and Willie Gallacher among others. However, the Russian Communist Party took the opposing view. In 1920, Vladimir Lenin argued in his essay "Left Wing" Communism: An Infantile Disorder that the CPs should work with reformist trade unions and social democratic parties because these were
13224-480: The industrial department as "a party within a party", and Marxism Today editor James Klugmann would routinely defer to Industrial Organiser Bert Ramelson on matters of policy. The party's orientation, though, was to the left union officers, not the rank and file. Historian Geoff Andrews explains "it was the role of the shop stewards in organising the Broad Lefts and influencing trade union leaders that were
13376-511: The industry. The failure of the steelworks plan, and the lack of any prospect of large-scale employment in the town, were the final factors that led to the decision to march. Marches of the unemployed to London, termed " hunger marches ", had taken place since the early 1920s, mainly organised by the National Unemployed Workers' Movement (NUWM), a communist -led body. For fear of being associated with communist agitation,
13528-544: The key rather than organising the rank and file in defiance of leaderships", and so the party withdrew from rank-and-file organisations like the Building Workers' Charter and attacked " Trotskyist " tactics at the Pilkington Glass dispute in 1970. Still the party's efforts to establish an electoral base repeatedly failed. They retained a handful of seats in local councils scattered around Britain, but
13680-481: The main political parties, and were given a broad public welcome on their arrival in London. Despite the initial sense of failure among the marchers, in subsequent years, the Jarrow March became recognised by historians as a defining event of the 1930s. It helped to foster the change in attitudes which prepared the way to social reform measures after the Second World War , which their proponents thought would improve working conditions. The town holds numerous memorials to
13832-580: The march covered the greatest distance of the four weeks—83 mi (134 km). At Mansfield , the Labour-controlled council defied the national leadership to give the marchers a warm welcome. This was matched by the reception from Nottingham 's Conservative mayor and councillors, and supplemented by gifts of clothing and underwear from the city's manufacturers. At Leicester , the Co-operative Society 's bootmakers worked through
13984-484: The march. Re-enactments celebrated the 50th and 75th anniversaries, in both cases invoking the "spirit of Jarrow" in their campaigns against unemployment. In contrast to the Labour Party's coldness in 1936, the post-war party leadership adopted the march as a metaphor for governmental callousness and working-class fortitude. In the period immediately after the end of the First World War, Britain's economy enjoyed
14136-561: The marchers walked from Luton to St Albans , the plight of Jarrow was the subject of exchanges in the House of Commons between Wilkinson and Baldwin. The prime minister drew attention to the recent decrease in Jarrow's unemployed, and said: "There is every reason to hope that the revival of industry now in progress in the Tyneside area will result in further opportunities for employment for those still unemployed at Jarrow." Wilkinson replied that
14288-429: The marchers. The cabinet issued a statement that emphasised the constitutional means for expressing grievances, and condemned marches for causing "unnecessary hardship for those taking part in them"—" crocodile tears ", according to Wilkinson. In reaching Chesterfield on 17 October, the marchers had travelled 70 mi (110 km) during the week, and were at the approximate half-way point in their journey. That day,
14440-458: The middle of the 19th century until 1935, Jarrow was a centre for shipbuilding , and was the starting point of the Jarrow March against unemployment in 1936. Jarrow's name is first recorded in the 8th century. It derives from the Gyrwe, an Anglian tribe that inhabited the neighbourhood. The Gyrwe's name means "fen dwellers", perhaps in reference to Jarrow Slake (a now-drained wetland that lay at
14592-474: The needs of both the yard and town. The shipyard generated high employment to Jarrow, but the industrial works created a harsh environment. Ellen Wilkinson , the town's historian and member of parliament from 1935 to 1947, quotes a newspaper source from 1858: "There is a prevailing blackness about the neighbourhood. The houses are black, the ships are black, the sky is black, and if you go there for an hour or two, reader, you will be black". According to Wilkinson,
14744-470: The new draft of the British Road to Socialism brought the party to breaking point. Many of the anti-Eurocommunists decided that they needed to form their own anti-revisionist Communist party. Some speculated at the time that they would receive the backing of Moscow, but such support appears not to have materialised. The New Communist Party of Britain was formed under the leadership of Sid French , who
14896-468: The new scheme. Reports of such tactics caused great anxiety in the Jarrow area, where the people were desperate for the new works to come about. In a reassuring speech shortly before the November 1935 general election, Baldwin, now leading the National Government, informed his listeners in Newcastle : "There is no truth in any of the reports that either the banks or any other authorities ... are making
15048-493: The next general election. Wilkinson had helped to found the British Communist Party in 1920, and had a firebrand reputation. She had been associated with Hannington and the NUWM in the early 1920s, but had left the Communist Party in 1923 and had served as Labour MP for Middlesbrough East between 1924 and 1931. Wilkinson felt a deep bond of sympathy with the people of Jarrow and the loss of the shipyard which
15200-459: The night without pay, repairing the marchers' boots. According to some accounts, the marchers presented the vicar of the Church of St Mark, Leicester , with a wooden cross, although Matt Perry, in his history of the Jarrow March, indicates that this cross was donated in 1934 by the national hunger march. From Leicester the march moved to Market Harborough . This was one of the least welcoming of all
15352-711: The number of CP members, especially those drawn from engineering, lacking work. This cadre of which Hannington and Harry MacShane in Scotland were emblematic, found a purpose in building the NUWM which resulted in a number of marches on the unemployment issue during the 1930s. Although born in the Third Period during the Great Depression , the NUWM was a major campaigning body throughout the Popular Front period too, only being dissolved in 1941. After
15504-403: The old parties to become devoted to reformism because it had encouraged them to place more importance on winning votes than on working for socialism , that it encouraged opportunists and place-seekers into the ranks of the movement and that it constituted an acceptance of the legitimacy of the existing governing institutions of capitalism . Similarly, affiliation to the Labour Party was opposed on
15656-464: The orders? That is what we want to know, and it is about time that we knew it". Ellen Wilkinson, House of Commons, 2 March 1936 After the election and the return of the National Government, little happened to support Baldwin's optimistic words. In the House of Commons on 2 March 1936, Wilkinson spoke of the "atmosphere of mystery" that surrounded the Jarrow scheme: "Publicly one sees tremendous optimism ... but when you see people privately there
15808-434: The overnight stops. No member of the local council greeted or visited the marchers, and they were forced to spend the night on the stone floor of an unfinished building (the local press later denied that this was so). On Saturday 24 October the marchers reached Northampton , arriving at the same time as the blind group. Wilkinson left to supervise arrangements in London, and would thereafter only participate intermittently until
15960-489: The party also affected the credibility of its leadership, as formerly senior and influential members left its ranks. In 1976, three of its top engineering cadres resigned. Jimmy Reid , Cyril Morton and John Tocher had all been members of the Political Committee, playing a crucial role in determining the direction of the party. Like another engineer, Bernard Panter, who left a few months before them, they jumped
16112-650: The party apparatus were starting to challenge the authority of the trade union organisers. At the 1975 Congress, economist Dave Purdy proposed that "the labour movement should declare its willingness to accept voluntary pay restraint as a contribution to the success of the programme and a way of easing the transition to a socialist economy" – a challenge to the Industrial Department's policy of "free collective bargaining". An argument he reiterated in print in The Leveller in 1979. The growing crisis in
16264-575: The party in mining areas increased greatly through 1926 and 1927. Much of these gains would be lost during the Third Period but the influence was developed in certain areas that would continue until the party's demise decades later. The CPGB did succeed in creating a layer of militants very committed to the party and its policies, although this support was concentrated in particular trades, specifically in heavy engineering, textiles and mining, and in addition, tended to be concentrated regionally too in
16416-664: The party leaned increasingly towards the position of Eurocommunism , which was the leading tendency within the important Communist parties of Italy and, later, Spain. In the late-1960s, and probably much earlier, MI5 had hidden surveillance microphones in the CPGB's headquarters, which MI5 regarded as "very productive". The last strong electoral performance of the CPGB was in the February 1974 General Election in Dunbartonshire Central , where candidate Jimmy Reid won almost 6,000 votes. However, this strong result
16568-551: The party was its policy of abnegating its own role and calling upon the General Council of the Trades Union Congress to play a revolutionary role. Nonetheless, during the strike itself and during the long drawn-out agony of the following Miners' Strike the members of the CPGB were to the fore in defending the strike and in attempting to develope solidarity with the miners. The result was that membership of
16720-687: The party". Dave Cook became National Organiser in 1975 and Sue Slipman was appointed to the executive committee and to the Marxism Today editorial board. Jon Bloomfield, former Student Organiser became the West Midlands District Secretary. Pete Carter prominent in UCATT , had been gaining influence since the late 60s and was appointed National Industrial Organiser in 1982. Beatrix Campbell (a contributor, with Slipman, to Red Rag ) and Judith Hunt became active in
16872-542: The party's first elected officer (Deputy General Secretary of DATA, later TASS ) in 1968 and former party member Hugh Scanlon was elected president of the AEU with Broad Left support – defeating Reg Birch , the Maoist ex-party candidate. The Broad Left went on to help elect Ray Buckton ( ASLEF ), Ken Cameron ( FBU ), Alan Sapper ( ACTT ) and Jack Jones ( TGWU ) in 1969. Gerry Pocock, Assistant Industrial Organiser described
17024-561: The party's first years was imperilled during the Third Period from 1929 to 1932, the Third Period being the so-called period of renewed revolutionary advance as it was dubbed by the (now Stalinised ) leadership of the Comintern . The result of this "class against class" policy was that the Social Democratic and Labourite parties were seen as just as much a threat as the fascist parties and were therefore described as being social-fascist . Any kind of alliance with "social-fascists"
17176-532: The party, including Trevor Carter , Charlie Hutchison , Dorothy Kuya , Billy Strachan , Peter Blackman , George Powe , Henry Gunter , Len Johnson , and Claudia Jones , who founded London's Notting Hill Carnival . In 1956, the CPGB experienced a significant loss of members due to its support of the Soviet military intervention in Hungary . In the 1960s, CPGB activists supported Vietnamese communists fighting in
17328-464: The percentage of the workforce without jobs remained at around 10% for the rest of the 1920s and beyond, well above the normal pre-war levels. During the world recession that began in 1929 and lasted until 1932, the percentage of unemployed peaked at 22%, representing more than 3 million workers. Unemployment was particularly heavy in Britain's traditional staple export industries—coal mining, shipbuilding, iron and steel and textiles—all of which were in
17480-710: The population are non-White British, which is almost double the figure for Jarrow, also the borough has twice the percentage of Asian people compared to this riverside town. Compared to the rest of the North East of England Jarrow does have an increased rate of unemployment, average unemployment figures in 2013 put the north east at 5.4% as opposed to Jarrow at 6.1%. In September 2016 1,680 people living in Jarrow were in receipt of Job Seekers Allowance or Universal Credit , 370 people aged between 18 and 24 were on receipt of benefits in September 2016 down by 30 from last year,
17632-436: The press, the marchers retired to their overnight accommodation in London's East End . Jarrow Jarrow ( / ˈ dʒ ær oʊ / or / ˈ dʒ ær ə / ) is a town in South Tyneside in the county of Tyne and Wear , England. Historically in County Durham , it is on the south bank of the River Tyne , about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the east coast. The 2011 census area classed Hebburn and The Boldons as part of
17784-505: The problems complained of, which counterbalanced their exploitation by the Communists. The historian A. J. P. Taylor considered that the hunger marchers had "displayed the failure of capitalism in a way that mere figures or literary description could not. Middle-class people felt the call of conscience". "[Jarrow] ... is well calculated to produce a general impression of solemn quiet. The church and mouldering monastic walls on
17936-564: The project since its early stages, wrote in The Times : "A system which permits the adjudication on a proposal of national importance ... to be left in the hands of parties whose financial interests may run counter to that project, is not conducive to the enterprising development of the steel industry". When, later in the summer, Runciman met workers from Jarrow the deputation encountered, in Wilkinson's words, "a figure of ice. Icily correct, icily polite, apparently completely indifferent to
18088-511: The questions of " parliamentarism " and the attitude of the Communist Party to the Labour Party . "Parliamentarism" referred to a strategy of contesting elections and working through existing parliaments. It was a strategy associated with the parties of the Second International and it was partly for this reason that it was opposed by those who wanted to break with Social Democracy . Critics contended that parliamentarism had caused
18240-549: The refusal of their affiliation, the CPGB encouraged its members to join the Labour Party individually and to seek Labour Party endorsement or help for any candidatures. Several Communists thus became Labour Party candidates, and in the 1922 general election , Shapurji Saklatvala and Walton Newbold were both elected. As late as 1923 the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party endorsed Communist parliamentary candidates, and 38 Communists attended
18392-405: The remote rural community for a thousand years, although his monastery was dissolved under Henry VIII in the 16th century. The discovery of coal in the 17th century led to major changes. Mining on an industrial scale began in the early 1800s, resulting in the population of Jarrow more than doubling between 1801 and 1821 to around 3,500, largely from the influx of mineworkers. The town's years as
18544-403: The return home, and the prospect of "looking out of the window ... knowing that there's nothing, nothing at all to do". On the final day, for the short 8 mi (13 km) stretch, large crowds watched the column proceed through the London suburbs towards Marble Arch, marching to the accompaniment of their own mouth-organ band despite relentless rain. On arrival, as their leaders talked to
18696-423: The rising levels of unemployment, the newly formed British Communist Party set up the National Unemployed Workers' Movement (NUWM). From 1922 until the late 1930s, under its charismatic leader Wal Hannington , the NUWM organised regular marches in which unemployed workers converged on London to confront Parliament, in the belief that this would improve conditions. These became known as " hunger marches ", reviving
18848-464: The scheme to the extent that it became unviable; Salt and his syndicate withdrew, and the scheme was dead, "strangled at birth" according to Wilkinson. In a series of exchanges in the Commons with Runciman on 30 June, Wilkinson requested in vain that the matter be reconsidered by an independent body, rather than being decided by the BISF. One of the government's own negotiators, who had been involved in
19000-405: The start of the new parliamentary session on 3 November 1936, when a petition from the town would be presented to the House of Commons. Riley was appointed chief marshal, with four subcommittees to deal with organisational detail. All the local political parties—Labour, Conservative and Liberal—gave their support, as did the town's churches and the business community. Relays of medical students from
19152-603: The stories were spiked. On his return to Britain Fryer resigned from the Daily Worker and was expelled from the party. After the calamitous events of 1956, the party increasingly functioned as a pressure group, seeking to use its well-organised base in the trade union movement to push the Labour Party leftwards. Trade unionists in the party in 1968 included John Tocher , George Wake, Dick Etheridge and Cyril Morton ( AEU ); Mick McGahey , Arthur True and Sammy Moore ( NUM ); Lou Lewis ( UCATT ) and Max Morris ( NUT ). Ken Gill became
19304-437: The student section. As such many of its members were academics or professional intellectuals (or in the view of their opponents, out of touch and middle class). They were influenced by the environmental and especially the feminist movement. The other wing was powerful in senior levels of the trade union movement (though few actually reached the very top in the unions) and despite the party's decline in numbers were able to drive
19456-491: The tanker Peter Hurll . By this time the brief shipbuilding boom had been ended by the Great Depression , and there were no new orders on the firm's books. Rumours of impending reorganisation and rationalisation in the industry gave the workforce cause for anxiety, which deepened with the formation in 1930 of National Shipbuilders Security Ltd (NSS). This was a company created by the government to assist shipbuilders by acquiring failing yards and dismantling them, so that production
19608-406: The town's working population until its closure in 1933 following purchase by National Shipbuilders Securities Ltd. (NSS). This organisation had been set up by Stanley Baldwin 's Conservative government in the 1920s, but the first public statement had been made in 1930 whilst the Labour Party was in office. The aim of NSS was to reduce capacity within the British shipyards. In fact Palmer's yard
19760-495: The town, it had a population of 43,431. It is home to the southern portal of the Tyne Tunnel and 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Newcastle upon Tyne . In the eighth century, St Paul's Monastery in Jarrow (now Monkwearmouth–Jarrow Abbey ) was the home of The Venerable Bede , who is regarded as the greatest Anglo-Saxon scholar and the father of English history. The town is part of the historic County Palatine of Durham . From
19912-476: The victory of Adolf Hitler in Germany , the Third Period was dropped by all Communist Parties as they switched to the policy of the Popular Front . This policy argued that as fascism was the main danger to the workers' movement, it needed to ally itself with all anti-fascist forces including right-wing democratic parties. In Britain, this policy expressed itself in the efforts of the CPGB to forge an alliance with
20064-488: The whole country ... and march them on London so they would all arrive at the same time. The government would then be forced to listen, or turn the military on us". The idea of a march was taken up with enthusiasm by the mayor Billy Thompson, by Wilkinson, and by political, commercial and religious groups. It was decided that the march would be a local affair, representing the town, with no political connotations. It would be limited to 200 fit men who would arrive in London at
20216-463: The woes of others." His insistence that "Jarrow must work out its own salvation", was described by Blythe as "the last straw in official cruelty"; to Wilkinson, the phrase "kindled the town", and inspired it to action. After the loss of the steelworks, David Riley, the chairman of Jarrow Borough Council, told a rally of the town's unemployed in July 1936: "If I had my way I would organise the unemployed of
20368-418: The worst depression years of 1929–32. Unemployment was significantly down, annual growth was averaging 4%, and many parts of the country were enjoying a substantial boom in housing and consumer goods. The increasing prosperity was not uniformly spread, and there were sharp contrasts between economic conditions in the south and those in the north-east, South Wales, Scotland and elsewhere, where the rate of recovery
20520-429: The yard began building warships, and was soon supplying many of the world's navies. With its associated iron and steel works, it became the largest shipbuilding centre in the country, employing thousands of men. Jarrow's population, at around 3,800 in 1850, had increased nearly tenfold to 35,000 by 1891. Palmer's was central to Jarrow's economy, both for the numbers employed there and for the ancillary businesses that served
20672-438: The yard's founder, Sir Charles Palmer , "regarded it as no part of his duty to see that the conditions under which his workers had to live were either sanitary or tolerable". In the 1890s, Britain held a near monopoly of the world's shipbuilding, with a share of around 80%. This proportion fell during the early years of the 20th century to about 60%, as other countries increased their production. Palmer's remained busy, and during
20824-543: The yard, closed it, and began to dismantle its plant. Blythe wrote: "The only sound to compete with the unfamiliar noise of the marsh birds ... was the ring of the breakers' hammers." Following the Palmer's closure, a small hope of relief and some industrial resurrection was offered by the industrialist Sir John Jarvis , who held the ceremonial office of High Sheriff of Surrey . He was the prospective Conservative candidate for Guildford . On 4 October 1934, Jarvis announced
20976-475: The years of the First World War built many of Britain's warships: the battleship HMS Resolution , the light cruiser HMS Dauntless , and numerous smaller vessels were all built in Jarrow. During the brief postwar boom of 1919–20, orders remained plentiful and Palmer's prospered. However, the firm's management had not anticipated the conditions that developed in the 1920s when, as Wilkinson says, "every industrial country that had bought ships from Britain
21128-406: Was Nikita Khrushchev 's " Secret Speech " at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , in which he denounced Stalin. According to George Matthews , Khrushchev made a deal with the CPGB to provide a secret annual donation to the party of more than £100,000 in used notes. The Poznań protests of 1956 disrupted not only the CPGB, but many other Communist Parties as well. The CPGB
21280-432: Was completed in 2009 turning the school into a modern learning facility with Specialist Engineering Status. The head teacher at the school plans to improve the school's grade point average, by improving the learning facilities, costing millions of pounds. In 2011, Jarrow had a population of 43,431, compared to 27,526 in 2001. This gives Jarrow a similar population to Wallsend and Whitley Bay. The large increase in population
21432-456: Was concentrated within a smaller number of profitable yards. To ensure this rationalisation was sustained, the closed yards were banned from any shipbuilding activity for at least 40 years. In 1931, NSS was busy closing shipyards elsewhere in the country, while an order from the Admiralty for two destroyers kept Palmer's working until mid-1932. The second of these ships, HMS Duchess ,
21584-414: Was later dissolved by Henry VIII . The ruins of the monastery are now associated with and partly built into the present-day church of St. Paul, which stands on the site. One wall of the church contains the oldest stained glass window in the world, dating from about AD 600. Just beside the monastery is Jarrow Hall , a working museum dedicated to the life and times of Bede. This incorporates Jarrow Hall ,
21736-413: Was much slower. At the same time, the national mood was changing. External factors such as the rise of fascism in Europe helped to unify the British left, and there were more supportive voices in parliament on behalf of the unemployed. The idea of marching as a means of expressing political or social grievances had by now become an accepted and well-established tactic, and there was a growing awareness of
21888-544: Was not supportive of the march—one delegate criticised Wilkinson for "sending hungry and ill-clad men on a march to London". The Labour conference's negative stance brought angry responses from the marchers; Riley considered that they had been "stabbed in the back". The marchers were further dismayed to learn that the Ministry of Labour 's Unemployment Assistance Board had ruled that their benefits would be reduced, since they were unavailable for work should jobs arise. After
22040-444: Was now building for itself". The firm made over-optimistic assessments of future demand, and invested accordingly. The anticipated demand did not materialise. By the mid-1920s, Palmer's was incurring heavy losses, and was close to bankruptcy. It was temporarily reprieved by a short-lived boom in 1929, when orders rose and the town briefly enjoyed the prospect of an economic recovery. On 24 July 1930 Palmer's launched its thousandth ship,
22192-470: Was obviously to be prohibited. The Third Period also meant that the CPGB sought to develope revolutionary trade unions in rivalry to the established Trades Union Congress affiliated unions. They met with an almost total lack of success although a tiny handful of "red" unions were formed, amongst them a miners union in Scotland and tailoring union in East London. Arthur Horner , the Communist leader of
22344-698: Was primarily a personal vote for Reid, who was a prominent local trade union leader and gained much support because of his prominent role in the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in , which had taken place a few years earlier and was seen as having saved local jobs. Nationally the party's vote continued its decline: according to a contemporary joke, the CPGB at this time pursued the British Road to Lost Deposits . According to historian Geoff Andrews, "The mid-1970s saw Gramscians " (otherwise known as Euro-Communists ) "take leading positions within
22496-409: Was relatively efficient and modern, but had serious financial problems. As from 1935, Olympic , the sister ship of RMS Titanic , was partially demolished at Jarrow, being towed in 1937 to Inverkeithing , Scotland for final scrapping. The Great Depression brought so much hardship to Jarrow that the town was described by Life as "cursed." The closure of the shipyard was responsible for one of
22648-590: Was the last ship launched from the yard, on 19 July 1932. By this time, Palmer's was insolvent, but retained a faint hope of further naval contracts. These failed to materialise, and in June 1933 the firm's creditors appointed a receiver. By December 1933 rumours of NSS interest in the yard were appearing in the press, and in the House of Commons Walter Runciman , the President of the Board of Trade , told members: "There
22800-463: Was the life-source of the town. Early in 1934 she led a deputation of Jarrow's unemployed to meet the prime minister, MacDonald, in his nearby Seaham constituency. She says that at the end of the meeting MacDonald said to her: "Ellen, why don't you go out and preach socialism, which is the only remedy for all this?" This "priceless remark", she says, brought home the "reality and sham ... of that warm but so easy sympathy". She became Jarrow's MP in
22952-517: Was the secretary of the important Surrey District CP, which had a strong base in engineering. Another grouping, led by Fergus Nicholson, remained in the party and launched the paper Straight Left . This served as an outlet for their views as well as an organising tool in their work within the Labour Party. Nicholson had earlier taken part in establishing a faction known as "Clause Four" within Labour's student movement . Nicholson wrote as "Harry Steel",
23104-542: Was to experience its greatest ever loss of membership as a result of the Warsaw Pact 's crushing of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution . "[T]he events of 1956 ... saw the loss of between one-quarter and one-third of Party members, including many leading intellectuals." This event was initially covered in the CPGB-sponsored Daily Worker , by correspondent Peter Fryer , but as events unfolded
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