<The> reds [the Communist Party of Australia from origins to illegality

Shortlisted, Best Australian History Book, New South Wales Premier's History Literary Awards 1999 Winner, Non-fiction prize, The Age Book of the Year Awards 1998 Highly Commended, Fellowship of Australian Writers Literature Award, National Literary Awards 1988 In 1920, 26 men and women met in a dingy hall in Sydney to create a new political party. They expected the overthrow of capitalism and the emancipation of humanity - here, and all around the world. Two decades later, when Australia joined in the Second World War, the Commonwealth Government suppressed the Communist Party of Australia. The handful of idealists and dissidents had become a political force powerful enough, in the view of the authorities, to pose a threat to national security. The Communist Party was a major part of Australia's political landscape for more than half a century. It enlisted its members in a world-wide cause that was charged with hopes for revolutionary change and imbued with the iron discipline of warriors in a class war. It attracted fierce hostility; it inspired devotion. Australian communism wielded an influence far beyond its size. The Party cam Shortlisted, Best Australian History Book, New South Wales Premier's History Literary Awards 1999Winner, Non-fiction prize, The Age Book of the Year Awards 1998Highly Commended, Fellowship of Australian Writers Literature Award, National Literary Awards 1988In 1920, 26 men and women met in a dingy hall in Sydney to create a new political party. They expected the overthrow of capitalism and the emancipation of humanity - here, and all around the world. Two decades later, when Australia joined in the Second World War, the Commonwealth Government suppressed the Communist Party of Australia. The handful of idealists and dissidents had become a political force powerful enough, in the view of the authorities, to pose a threat to national security. The Communist Party was a major part of Australia's political landscape for more than half a century. It enlisted its members in a world-wide cause that was charged with hopes for revolutionary change and imbued with the iron discipline of warriors in a class war. It attracted fierce hostility; it inspired devotion. Australian communism wielded an influence far beyond its size. The Party came to control many of the country's largest trade unions. Its supporters included writers and artists who influenced much of Australia's cultural life. It was active in a broad range of social movements. It became the target of sustained surveillance and penetration by state police and federal security agencies. It retains the attention of many despite the revelations of the post-Cold War era. Stuart Macintyre's history is the first comprehensive account of Australian communism. It is based on a new range of sources and uses extensive interviews to recapture the experience of early Australian communists. Full of fascinating characters and incidents, this is the most ambitious work of a leading Australian historian. Title page......Page 3 Contents......Page 5 Abbreviations......Page 6 Acknowledgements......Page 9 Introduction......Page 13 1 Foundation......Page 24 2 What was to be done?......Page 40 3 Recognition......Page 65 4 Tactics......Page 88 5 Communism goes bush......Page 112 6 The line straightens......Page 142 7 Bolshevisation......Page 176 8 Class Against Class......Page 195 9 The Depression communists......Page 215 10 Towards the united front......Page 256 11 Communism by fronts......Page 300 12 Growth pains......Page 341 13 The socialist sixth of the world......Page 375 14 War......Page 393 Conclusion......Page 424 Endnotes......Page 432 Index......Page 481 Foundation - Tactics - Bolshevisation - Communists In The Depression - Development Of Communism Throughout The World And Its Effects On Australia - Impact Of World War 1939-1945. Stuart Macintyre. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 420-468) And Index. Looking at the history of the Communist Party of Australia, this work examines a changing group of people and an institution which mounted an uncompromised challenge to the existing forms of national life.