Reference number
  • DEW
Date
  • 1871-1981
Level
  • Collection
Description
  • Includes: small quantity of material relating to Dewar's political activities; published and unpublished studies (including re Saint-Simon and the Communist Party in Britain); International Lenin School study notes; left-wing pamphlets and journals, including publications from the Spanish Civil War and General Strike; and press-cuttings.
Extent
  • 5 boxes
Admin history
  • Hugo Dewar was born in 1908 in Leyton. Joining the Independent Labour Party in 1928, he subsequently co-founded, with F.A. Ridley, the Marxist League. In 1931, he joined the Communist Party of Great Britain, to support their Balham group then battling against Stalinist policies, but was expelled in the following year. He took part in the founding of the Communist League, the first Trotskyist group in Britain, and continued to be active in 'Left Opposition' groups until he was drafted into the army in 1943. On his discharge, he became a tutor in adult education, also writing many books and articles exposing Stalinism. He held firmly to his faith in revolutionary socialism until his death in June 1980.
Access status
  • Open