The Communist International through a British Lens

This paper addresses the historiography of the Communist International (Comintern), and the approaches adopted by historians, with particular reference to the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB).  Although the Comintern was an international institution it was centred in Moscow and was dominated by the Soviet state, with ever increasing attempts to shape the member parties and hold them to a political line.  In doing so the central apparatus of the Comintern showed a general disregard, or misunderstanding, of national situations, culture, and characteristics.  At the same time, member parties attempted to make sense of directives from Moscow and to implement them as best they could, not always with the desired results.
            The paper focuses on the CPGB and the ways in which it has been looked at by historians.  Mostly worked on by British scholars, some have chosen to view it in a national context while ignoring, or downplaying its relationship with the Comintern, while others have chosen to look at its relationship to Moscow with little consideration of national issues.  Both these approaches have a tendency to draw heavily on archival resources in the United Kingdom and in English, and the paper will attempt to redress the balance to a more holistic approach to the history of the Comintern and how the CPGB fits into it is needed to fully understand the CPGB in both a national and international context.