Entryism and the Revolutionary Socialist Left in Britain

This book examines entryism in the context of the revolutionary socialist left in Britain, from the inception of the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1920 to the departure of Militant from the Labour Party in 1992. Entryism is a tactic of penetration of a political party by another, aimed at accomplishing objectives, the nature of which can change depending on the type of entry. This work shows to what extent there is not one type of entryism but several. The adopted methodology is chronological, with introductory chapters that study the context and the previous partial-only attempts to define entryism. The first part of the volume is dedicated to the relationship between the Communist Party of Great Britain and the Labour Party up until the middle of the 20th century. The following two parts are dedicated to British Trotskyists before and after the Second World War. In total, 17 organisations that have practiced entryism are examined. Through their objectives, practices, and results, this work intends to formulate an exhaustive typology of the tactic, which fills a definitional gap in political science and covers an aspect of Labour's History that has only been partially covered. This volume will be of use to students and scholars interested in the history of the Labour Party and the Far Left in the United Kingdom.

Nicolas Sigoillot holds a PhD in English Studies and teaches at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Lyon. His dissertation focused on Entryism within the Labour Party. His research focuses on socialism in Britain, political strategy, and videogame representations of historical concepts related to socialism.

Part 1: Theoretical Considerations 1 Social Democracy, Leninism, and Trotskyism 2 A Critical Examination of the Previous Definitions of Entryism Part 2: The CPGB Before the Second World War 3 The CPGB at its Early Days and the Affiliation Tactic 4 The CPGB in the 1930s: Entryism at the Service of the Popular Front Part 3: The Early Days of British Trotskyism 5 The Splits Over Entryism in the Early British Trotskyist Movement 6 Flexibilities and Sectarianisms: Coherences and Contradictions Within the WIL And RSL 7 From the Foundation of the RCP to the Split Over the Question of Entryism: A Never-Ending Circle? Part 4: British Trotskyism After the War: Different Traditions, Different Entryisms 8 From Secrecy to Sectarianism, the Healyite Tradition in Action 9 The Peripheralists: The Cliffites and the IMG Tradition 10 Militant, and the Backlash Against the Successes of Long-Term Entryism