A Very British Revolt

A vivid oral history of the British New Left, exploring the passions, conflicts and ideas that transformed post-war political activism—and their unfinished legacy. ‘There was a strange feeling in the air. The allegiance of a whole generation was fraying at the edges.’ A Very British Revolt captures how it felt to be a left-wing activist in the late 1950s and 1960s: the excitement, the anguish, the friendships, the betrayals. Over 100 people have shared their memories and insights, often for the first time. Together, they bring to life a hugely innovative and influential political movement. The British New Left emerged from the upheavals of 1956, as the Suez crisis and the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian uprising shattered old political certainties. It flourished amid the decline of deference and the search for alternative values that animated the 1960s. Rejecting both Stalinism and mainstream Labour, it pioneered new forms of protest and displayed remarkable intellectual vitality. Activists staged mass sit-downs against nuclear weapons; took to the streets against the Vietnam War; embraced the emerging counterculture; inspired student demonstrations; and helped shape the women’s, gay and black liberation movements. From the New Left’s inception to the social movements of the 1970s, this is the inside story of a political current that transformed the left—and of a spirit of dissent that still resonates today. Covers the full breadth of one of the most remarkable and influential aspects of the British left – from the New Left's emergence in 1956 through 1970. Shows how the New Left distanced itself from both Stalinism and social democracy, championed new forms of protest, promoted campaigns which were (largely) non-economic and meshed with emerging countercultures. Accessible narrative history that draws on personal testimonies.