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‘Against All The Odds’
'Against All The Odds': Women in the Communist Party in Scotland 1920-91: An Oral History
This PhD thesis was recently completed at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. My supervisors were Dr A McIvor and Professor J F McMillan. The following is a synopsis of the extent of oral testimony and the topics covered in the relevant chapters.
The thesis consists of oral testimony integrated into a chronological historical text covering the CP from its birth to its death. Overall, forty people were interviewed. Thirty-two of the respondents were women who were involved in the party. Of the remaining eight, seven were men who held central positions in the Party in Scotland and/or were very knowledgeable about the Party's history because of their involvement. One of the eight was a women whose mother had been involved in the Socialist Sunday School which taught many young women who then went into the CP.
Originally I had planned to specifically cover the post-World War 2 period, however it soon became apparent that some of the women were active from the late 1920's and their political experiences had not fully been accounted. An important aspect to involvement in communist politics for some seemed to be the Socialist Sunday School and , to a lesser extent, organisations like the Woodcraft Folk and the Young Pioneers. The Socialist Sunday School was particularly strong in the West of Scotland and the second chapter covers childhood antecedents to political involvement.
Subsequent chapters cover the following: Party activity in the 1930s and life in the Party's structures. The role of the Scottish Women's Advisory Committee and its importance in politicising women. Internationally there is the influence of the Soviet Union and its leaders such as Stalin , Khruhschev and the events of 1956. After this there is a concentration on the new generation of women who came into the party from the 1960s. Here the route to political commitment is traced as are the impressions of joining a now firmly established political culture. The role of the YCL is particularly revealing at this time in Scotland as it was a small but vibrant body.
The role of new theories , development of criticisms of the party's structures and its loyalty to the Soviet Union are the central concern of the penultimate chapter (Seven). Here the divisions that arose over The British Road to Socialism, feminist and sexual politics, and the split over the Morning Star are crucial to the late 1970s and the 1980s. Overall there is an attempt to show the importance of the party's organisation - branches, committees and congresses, and how members addressed issues among communities, groups and at work.
Since the first interviews were started in 1994, three of the respondents have died. Inevitably the interviews were often flawed and I needed to amend questions and re-record some respondents. However as methodology improved (and I spoke less!) there were many valuable contributions, not least illuminating the great commitment and central role that women played in the CP in Scotland. All this was done with their full consent and co-operation although I am sure that had I attempted to do this thesis ten or twenty years ago, then I would more would have declined the opportunity to express themselves. That the CPGB had folded had a lot to do with peoples openness as so many respected and were loyal to the Party. It became clear that women undoubtedly made a greater impact from the 1960s.
There were many women who had passed away over the years and had never been recorded. This is a real tragedy for feminist and political historians as well as many other social scientists. Therefore the importance of recording senior CP members cannot be understated. Although this study is now over I plan to record ex-CPGB members when the opportunity arises.
