Winning the Peace: British Communists, the Soviet Union and the General Election of 1945

Abstract

During the last two years of the Second World War the Communist Party of Great Britain developed a new reformist and nationalistic strategy. The twists and turns of its development and its content show that even after the dissolution of the Comintern British Communists still looked to the Soviet party for inspiration and guidance. The Labour Party played a key role in the CP's new strategy. Though Communists argued that national unity was necessary for post-war reconstruction, they were adamant that only a Labour-led government could prevent a return to pre-war conditions and commence the transition to socialism. The widely-held belief that the party entered the general election campaign of 1945 calling for a continued coalition government is false.