The British Labour Party and the Wider World: Domestic Politics, Internationalism and Foreign Policy (International Library of Political Studies)

"Following Britain's - and specifically the Blair Government's - decision to support the United States in the war against Iraq, much has been written about the Labour party's international posture and perspectives. Yet very little serious academic analysis of Labour's stance towards the wider world has taken place among specialists. "The British Labour Party and the Wider World" examines how throughout the twentieth century Labour's international policies have been influenced by domestic politics, and how in turn world events and Labour's response to them have helped to change the party's ideology, political culture and domestic agenda from the 1920s up to the Iraq War. This is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the motivations and influences behind the Labour Party's actions on the world stage, as well as students and researchers of British politics."--Bloomsbury Publishing. Introduction / Andrew Thorpe -- A Gentleman At The Foreign Office : Influences Shaping Ramsay Macdonald's Internationalism In 1924 / John Shepherd -- 'a Commanding Group'? : Labour's Advisory Committee On International Questions 1918-31 / Casper Sylvest -- Labour's Political Thought : The Soviet Influence In The Interwar Years / Jonathan Davis -- The Labour Party In The Year Of The Nazi-soviet Pact, 1939-41 / Paul Corthorn -- The Foreign Policy Of The Attlee Government, 1945-50 / John Callaghan -- Labour Party Factionalism And West German Rearmament, 1950-4 / Robert Crowcroft -- 'the Challenge Of Co-existence' : The Labour Party, Affluence And The Cold War, 1951-64 / Richard Toye And Nicholas Lawton -- From 'danny The Red' To British Student Power : Labour And The International Student Revolts Of The 1960s / David Fowler -- Humanitarian Intervention, The Labour Party And The Press : The Break-up Of Yugoslavia In The 1990s / Ann Schreiner -- From Clinton To Bush : New Labour, The Usa And The Iraq War / Mark Phythian. Edited By Paul Corthorn And Jonathan Davis. This Collection Of Essays Grew Out Of A Conference Held At Anglia Ruskin University In July 2004--p. [ix]. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [227]-272) And Index. The legacy of Blair and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan continue to loom large for the Labour Party, whether in opposition or in government, giving rise to fierce debates over Labour's attitude and posture towards the wider world. This book considers the idea of Labour's international identity, examining how world events and Labour's response to them have helped to shape ideology, political culture and domestic agendas from the 1920s until the Iraq War. It provides a fascinating and original exploration of Labour both on the world stage and at home - from the influence of the Soviet Union on political thought in the interwar years to the international student revolts of the 1960s, and from media in the 1990s to Kosovo and New Labour Interventionism.This is essential reading for scholars of modern British politics, as well as anyone interested in the motivations and influences behind the Labour Party's actions on the world stage. Contents......Page 6 List of Contributors......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Introduction - Andrew Thorpe......Page 12 1. A Gentleman at the Foreign Office - John Shepherd......Page 36 2. 'A Commanding Group?' - Casper Sylvest......Page 59 3. Labour's Political Thought - Jonathan Davis......Page 75 4. The Labour Party in the Era of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, 1939-41 - Paul Corthorn......Page 97 5. The Foreign Policy of the Attlee Government, 1945-50 - John Callaghan......Page 121 6. Labour Party Factionalism and the West German Rearment, 1950-4 - Robert Crowcroft......Page 138 7. 'The Challenge of Co-Existence' - Richard Toye and Nicholas Lawton......Page 156 8. From 'Danny the Red' to British Student Power - David Fowler......Page 178 9. Humanitarian Intervention, the Labour Party and the Press - Ann Schreiner......Page 201 10. From Clinton to Bush - Mark Phythian......Page 220 Notes......Page 238 Index......Page 284