Enemies of the Red Flag

Enemies of the red flag is the first systematic book-length study of British anti-socialism in the early twentieth century. It demonstrates that opposition to socialism was not confined to the Conservative Party but constituted a diverse political and cultural phenomenon that crossed divisions of class, party and belief. The book examines anti-socialist campaigns, stereotypes and ideas across parliamentary politics, voluntary activism and popular culture. It emphasises the centrality of religion to particular forms of British anti-socialism and the significance of conflicts between Christianity and secularism. By situating anti-socialism within wider transnational, cultural and ideological contexts, it highlights the importance of Europe to British politics and foregrounds the explicitly ideological character of civil society in early twentieth-century Britain.