Douglas Hyde (author)
Encyclopedia
Douglas Arnold Hyde was a Communist who was the news editor of the Daily Worker
until 1948, when he converted to Catholicism
and resigned.
Hyde grew up in Bristol
and was brought up as a Methodist. In his youth he was active in a number of political organizations which brought him into contact with Communists. He became a Methodist lay preacher and continued this work for some time in parallel with membership of the Communist party. He was an early convert to Communism, at age 17 in 1928. He was once jailed for two years in southeast Asia while trying to agitate for Communist reforms. After a period working in North Wales he moved to London in 1938. He was the news editor of the Daily Worker, the largest Communist publication in Britain. After his resignation, he published an autobiography
, I Believed. The Autobiography of a Former British Communist. He also wrote a book, Dedication and Leadership, about his experiences and the specific tactics of the Communists especially in the way that they recruited their members and built them into leaders. On his death he had allegedly become an agnostic, having had difficulties pursuing social justice and economic equality issues within the Catholic Church.
Daily Worker
The Daily Worker was a newspaper published in New York City by the Communist Party USA, a formerly Comintern-affiliated organization. Publication began in 1924. While it generally reflected the prevailing views of the party, some attempts were made to make it appear that the paper reflected a...
until 1948, when he converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and resigned.
Hyde grew up in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and was brought up as a Methodist. In his youth he was active in a number of political organizations which brought him into contact with Communists. He became a Methodist lay preacher and continued this work for some time in parallel with membership of the Communist party. He was an early convert to Communism, at age 17 in 1928. He was once jailed for two years in southeast Asia while trying to agitate for Communist reforms. After a period working in North Wales he moved to London in 1938. He was the news editor of the Daily Worker, the largest Communist publication in Britain. After his resignation, he published an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, I Believed. The Autobiography of a Former British Communist. He also wrote a book, Dedication and Leadership, about his experiences and the specific tactics of the Communists especially in the way that they recruited their members and built them into leaders. On his death he had allegedly become an agnostic, having had difficulties pursuing social justice and economic equality issues within the Catholic Church.
Works
- I Believed: The Autobiography of a Former British Communist, William Heinemann, London, Melbourne, Toronto, 1950. German translation Anders als ich glaubte, Herder, Freiburg, 1957 (=Herder-Bücherei, No. 1).
- The Answer to Communism, Paternoster Publications, London, 1949.
- Communism from the Inside, Catholic Truth SocietyCatholic Truth SocietyCatholic Truth Society is a body that prints and publishes Catholic literature, including apologetics but also prayerbooks, spiritual reading, lives of saints and so forth...
, London, 1949. - Communism and the Home, Catholic Truth Society, London, 1950.
- God's Bandit: The Story of Don Orione, "Father of the Poor", Peter Davies, London, 1952. Italian (1955), French (1956), German (1957) and Polish (1980) translations.
- Communism at Work, Catholic Truth Society, London, 1953.
- Red Star Versus the Cross: The Pattern of Persecution (with Francis Dufay), Paternoster Publications, London, 1954
- One Front across the World, William Heinemann, London. 1955; Newman Press, Westminster, Maryland, 1956.
- The Mind behind New China, Phoenix House, London, 1956.
- Dedication and Leadership, University of Notre Dame Press, 1956. There is a 1992 edition.
- The Peaceful Assault: The Pattern of Subversion. A Background Book, The Bodley Head, London, 1963.
- The Roots of Guerilla Warfare. A Background Book, The Bodley Head, London, 1965.
- Confrontation in the East. A Background Book, The Bodley Head, London, 1965.
- The Troubled Continent: A New Look at Latin America, Pflaum Press, Dayton, Ohio, 1967.
- Communism Today, Gill and Macmillan, Dublin, 1972; University of Notre Dame Press, 1973.