Imperialism and the British Labour Movement, 1914-1964

In 1920, Lenin referred to Western Social Democrats as 'Social Patriots', linked the absence of European revolutionary zeal with support of capitalistic imperialism and singled out the craft unions as strongholds of what he called Menshevik sentiment. The issues raised by these charges are important for our understanding of trade union politics in the capitalist countries. This book is the first comprehensive study of the Labour Movement's foreign policy in an important period in British history. It is a thorough refutation of Lenin's arguments and the similar assertions of Marxists who have been using this conceptual framework.