A People's History of London

by German, Lindsey; Rees, John

• ISBN13: 9781844678556
• ISBN10: 1844678555
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-06-19
• Publisher: VERSO

Summary

Hub of empire, world port and seat of government, London has a political history that is nevertheless entwined with the lives of its people, a multitude often dismissed throughout the centuries as a mob. This gripping new counter-history reveals how London's poor and its immigrant population have shaped its history and identity over the ages: from apprentices closing the city gates on Charles I in the 1640s to modern fights against fascism and racism in Cable Street and Notting Hill. A People's History of London takes us into an unofficial, half-hidden and often undocumented world, a city rarely glimpsed: of pamphleteers, agitators, exiles, demonstrations and riots; the city of Wat Tyler, Marx and Engels, Garibaldi and Gandhi; and the countless pubs, theaters, coffee-houses and meeting-places in which radical ideas have been nurtured and revolutions planned.

Author Biography

Lindsey German is a socialist writer and activist who has lived in London all her life. She is convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, stood as candidate for Mayor of London and has written books on women’s liberation, class, and war.

John Rees is a writer, broadcaster and activist. His books include The Algebra of Revolution and Imperialism and Resistance. He is the writer and presenter of the Timeline TV series, a member of the editorial board of the online magazine Counterfire, and co-founder of the Stop the War Coalition.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
Origins	p. 13
Lords, Lollards, Heretics and Peasants in Revolt	p. 20
'The Head and Fountain of Rebellion'	p. 45
Old Corruption and the Mob That Can Read	p. 68
Reformers and Revolutionaries	p. 99
Union City	p. 129
Things Fall Apart	p. 153
The Strike and the Slump	p. 183
London's Burning	p. 208
Migrant City	p. 232
Welcome to the Modern World	p. 253
Neoliberal London	p. 284
Bibliography	p. 299
Index	p. 305
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