Worker's vanguard or people's voice? : the communist party of New Zealand from origins to 1946

Abstract

This thesis argues that the development of the Communist Party of New Zealand can only be understood by examining the interplay of internal party dynamics and international, national, and local factors. International factors while important have been over emphasised by previous commentators. The CPNZ was not a passive subject of dictates from the Communist International or the Communist Party of Australia (CPA). Rather there was a two way interaction between the CPNZ and the international communist movement. Nor was the CPNZ's history little more than a series of factional conflicts. Petty squabbling did occur, but so too did a more fundamental struggle between local groups and a national centre attempting to establish its authority. I argue that centralised control could only be effectively exercised with the active co-operation of local groups and individual members. In addition development of the party was crucially influenced by developments within the political context of New Zealand. The consistently aggressive actions of the state handicapped the party's development. So too did the deteriorating and increasingly bitter relationship between the party and the broader New Zealand labour movement. The development of certain elements of a distinct communist sub-culture, including distinctive language, literature and social practices, further influenced the growth and success of the CPNZ. The thesis is constructed as follows: Chapter 1 outlines the ideological origins of the CPNZ which emerged from three revolutionary traditions established during the period 1908-1913. Chapter 2 provides a revisionist account of the formation of the CPNZ in 1921. Chapter 3 examines the early years of the CPNZ and its struggle to establish a viable organisation. Chapter 4 explores the relationship of the CPNZ with the Comintern established in 1928. Chapter 5 considers attempts by the party to build itself in industry and the establish a centralised organisation during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It also examines communist work within the Unemployed Workers Movement and the Friends of the Soviet Union. Chapter 6 considers the political divisions the party experienced over the 'popular front', and party work in unions and activity against fascism. Chapter 7 explores the consequences of the party's opposition to the war 1939-41. Chapter 8 considers the period of growth associated with the party's decision to support the war after 1941.