Red Ellen : The Life of Ellen Wilkinson, Socialist, Feminist, Internationalist

In 1908 Ellen Wilkinson, a fiery adolescent from a working-class family in Manchester, was "the only girl who talks in school debates." By midcentury, Wilkinson had helped found Britain's Communist Party, earned a seat in Parliament, and become a renowned advocate for the poor and dispossessed at home and abroad. She was one of the first female delegates to the United Nations, and she played a central role in Britain's postwar Labour government. In Laura Beers's account of Wilkinson's remarkable life, we have a richly detailed portrait of a time when Left-leaning British men and women from a range of backgrounds sought to reshape domestic, imperial, and international affairs. Wilkinson is best remembered as the leader of the Jarrow Crusade, the 300-mile march of two hundred unemployed shipwrights and steel workers to petition the British government for assistance. But this was just one small part of Red Ellen's larger transnational fight for social justice. She was involved in a range of campaigns, from the quest for official recognition of the Spanish Republican government, to the fight for Indian independence, to the effort to smuggle Jewish refugees out of Germany. During Wilkinson's lifetime, many British radicals viewed themselves as members of an international socialist community, and some, like her, became involved in socialist, feminist, and pacifist movements that spanned the globe. By focusing on the extent to which Wilkinson's activism transcended Britain's borders, Red Ellen adjusts our perception of the British Left in the early twentieth century.-- Provided by publisher In 1908 Ellen Wilkinson, a fiery adolescent from a working-class family in Manchester, was “the only girl who talks in school debates.” By midcentury, Wilkinson had helped found Britain’s Communist Party, earned a seat in Parliament, and become a renowned advocate for the poor and dispossessed at home and abroad. She was one of the first female delegates to the United Nations, and she played a central role in Britain’s postwar Labour government. In Laura Beers’s account of Wilkinson’s remarkable life, we have a richly detailed portrait of a time when Left-leaning British men and women from a range of backgrounds sought to reshape domestic, imperial, and international affairs. During Wilkinson’s lifetime, many British radicals viewed themselves as members of an international socialist community, and some, like her, became involved in socialist, feminist, and pacifist movements that spanned the globe. By focusing on the extent to which Wilkinson’s activism transcended Britain’s borders, __Red Ellen__ adjusts our perception of the British Left in the early twentieth century. Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Introduction 12 Chapter 1. The Only Girl Who Talks in School Debates 18 Chapter 2. Ellen’s Great War 48 Chapter 3. On the Road to Radicalization 72 Chapter 4. From Ireland to Russia 94 Chapter 5. A Woman Candidate with Communistic Views 116 Chapter 6. The Mighty Atom Bursts into Parliament 158 Chapter 7. Nine Days That (Almost) Shook the World 190 Chapter 8. No Longer Upsetting the Apple Cart 220 Chapter 9. Out of Parliament 252 Chapter 10. On the International Stage 272 Chapter 11. A Fight for Humanity Itself 316 Chapter 12. Pursuing Social Justice in Britain and Beyond 348 Chapter 13. The Anti-Fascist Tribune 384 Chapter 14. Ellen Is Now a Minister 420 Chapter 15. Reforming Education 448 Chapter 16. Death of a Good Comrade 486 Notes 494 Acknowledgements 546 Index 550 Ellen Wilkinson Viewed Herself As Part Of An International Radical Community And Became Involved In Socialist, Feminist, And Pacifist Movements That Spanned The Globe. By Focusing On The Extent To Which Wilkinson’s Activism Transcended Britain’s Borders, Laura Beers Adjusts Our Perception Of The British Left In The Early Twentieth Century.