Humanities & Social Sciences

Socialist republic

Remaking the British left in 1980s Sheffield

by Daisy Payling

Description

Socialist republic is a timely account of 1980s left-wing politics in South Yorkshire. It explores how Sheffield City Council set out to renew the British Left. Through careful analysis of the Council's agenda and how it interacted with trade unions, women's groups, lesbian and gay rights groups and acted on issues such as peace, environmentalism, anti-apartheid and anti-racism, the book draws out the complexities involved in building a broad-based politics which aimed unite class and identity politics. Running counter to 1980s narratives dominated by Thatcherism, the book examines the persistence of social democracy locally, demonstrating how grassroots local histories can enrich our understanding of political developments on a national and international level. The book is essential reading for students, scholars, and activists with an interest in left-wing politics and history.

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Reviews

Socialist Republic s a detailed account of left-wing politics in 1980s Britain. Often considered a time of crisis for the Left, this book shows how the period actually saw a persistence of social democracy in localities like Sheffield. Drawing on archival research and oral history interviews, it examines how Sheffield City Council developed a left-wing agenda to counter Thatcherism and renew the British Left. The city's wider activism of trade unionism, women's groups, peace, environmentalism, anti-apartheid, anti-racism, and lesbian and gay politics interacted with the 'Socialist Republic', and the book illustrates how these movements were embraced, supported, restricted or ignored by the local authority. By bringing together a wide range of movements and examining them in the context of a vibrant local government, this book uses the local to offer a methodological challenge to the study of new social movements while providing a road map for how left-wing politics can be studied in other cities. Offering a timely focus on regional politics, it demonstrates how histories of local political cultures can enrich our understanding of political developments on a national and international level. Written in an accessible style and foregrounding activists' stories, Socialist Republic will have a wide appeal, making it essential reading for students, scholars and activists with an interest in left-wing politics and history.

Author Biography

Daisy Payling is a Community Fellow in the Department of History at the University of Essex

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Manchester University Press

Manchester University Press

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Bibliographic Information

  • Publisher Manchester University Press
  • Publication Date March 2023
  • Orginal LanguageEnglish
  • ISBN/Identifier 9781526150301 / 1526150301
  • Publication Country or regionUnited Kingdom
  • FormatPrint PDF
  • Pages248
  • ReadershipGeneral/trade
  • Publish StatusPublished
  • Dimensions216 X 138 mm
  • Biblio NotesDerived from Proprietary 5230
  • Reference Code13169

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