ABSTRACT
The discussion of a New Left (NL) in Britain is bedevilled by terminological problems - especially in any attempt to compare its nature and developments with the movements in other countries. Libertarian radicals in England consistently rejected the NL tag because of its association with Marxism, or the Labourist strategy, or the compromising of Unilateralism. Adoption of the label NL by Students for a Democratic Society and the broader movements in America, worked to create an artificial barrier between them and fellow-spirits in the British movement. The understanding of the break-up of the nuclear disarmament movement is essential to an understanding of the fate of the NL in Britain. The intensified call for nuclear disarmament first arose as a direct response to the change of Britain's world status revealed by Suez. It reflected a 'loss of Empire', as well as escalations in nuclear weapons technology, the Cold War and ambivalence towards Europe.
