Betrayal of the Left
Encyclopedia
Betrayal of the Left was a book of essays published in 3 March 1941 by the Left Book Club
, edited and largely written by Victor Gollancz
.
Other contributions included two essays by George Orwell
, "Fascism and Democracy" and "Patriots and Revolutionaries" that condemned the Communist Party of Great Britain
for backing the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 and for taking a revolutionary defeatist position in the war against Nazi Germany
.
It was particularly critical of the CP-organised People's Convention
of January 1941, the high point of the CP's revolutionary defeatism during the period of Stalin's alliance with Hitler. It marked a decisive break by the democratic left from its 1930s alliance with the CP.
Left Book Club
The Left Book Club, founded in 1936, was a key left-wing institution of the late 1930s and 1940s in the United Kingdom set up by Stafford Cripps, Victor Gollancz and John Strachey to revitalise and educate the British Left. The Club's aim was to "help in the struggle For world peace and against...
, edited and largely written by Victor Gollancz
Victor Gollancz
Sir Victor Gollancz was a British publisher, socialist, and humanitarian.-Early life:Born in Maida Vale, London, he was the son of a wholesale jeweller and nephew of Rabbi Professor Sir Hermann Gollancz and Professor Sir Israel Gollancz; after being educated at St Paul's School, London and taking...
.
Other contributions included two essays by George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
, "Fascism and Democracy" and "Patriots and Revolutionaries" that condemned the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
for backing the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 and for taking a revolutionary defeatist position in the war against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.
It was particularly critical of the CP-organised People's Convention
People's Convention
The People's Convention was a "people's government" that was proposed by communist elements in the United Kingdom in 1940–1941. Its advocates attempted to persuade Labour Party and trade union members that the current government was solely for the rich and was dominated by those who through...
of January 1941, the high point of the CP's revolutionary defeatism during the period of Stalin's alliance with Hitler. It marked a decisive break by the democratic left from its 1930s alliance with the CP.