ABSTRACT
Edward Thompson's interpretation of Marxism mirrored many of the themes which have motivated British communism throughout the twentieth century. The role of historians within the British communist movement was to be the crucial reason for the involvement and membership. From as early as the 1880s and 1890s British communist historians had concerned themselves with researching various aspects of the struggles of common people, their histories focusing largely on early peasant struggles, social relationships during class formation, the socio-economic repercussions of the demise of feudalism, and the origins of capitalism. By asserting the inclusiveness of their Marxism and 'history from the Group members were attempting to appeal to a popular consciousness, advocating a national and open communist libertarianism as a legitimate political force. The origins of the mainstream Marxist tradition could be traced through the development of the theory of scientific socialism, worked initially from Karl Grun's work in the 1840s.
