ABSTRACT
In 1914, the Labour Party held a tiny number of seats at local and county level in Greater London; in many parts of the capital, its organisation was non-existent. London became a more sociable capital through Labour's activists. Across the metropolis, and particularly before it attained power, the Labour Party offered distinctive local versions of socialism in different areas and new roles to women, the Irish and the Jews. Important though local distinctions were, several changes at national level were also of particular significance for Labour. The Conservatives were also associated with the anti-alien legislation of 1905 and 1919, the wartime campaign against German Jews, the post-1917 campaign against Russian Jews, and discriminatory county council housing and education policies. Activists aided the social integration into their communities of Labour policies by maintaining the network of civic life. Activists made the most of the possibilities of political links as well as ethnic, kinship and cultural ties.
