England

1945 was an important year for the British Labour Party. Founded in 1900, it had twice formed governments in 1924 and 1929, but it did not enjoy a majority in either of these and was heavily defeated by a coalition of all the bourgeois parties in 1931. In 1940, just before the fall of France, on the invitation of Winston Churchill the Labour Party joined a coalition government. Its leader Clement Attlee became deputy Prime Minister. When the war in Europe ended, an election was called.

In 1896 the Socialist International met in London. Edward Aveling was in charge of its organisation. His partner, Eleanor Marx, (daughter of Karl) was secretary of the ‘Hotels Committee’, which meant the delegates’ accommodation.

The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was founded in 1920 and tried but failed to affiliate to the Labour Party. At the 1922 election Communists like Shapurji Saklatvala stood as individual Labour candidates.

The Labour Party’s 1924 Conference banned individual Communist membership, so Saklatvala stood again the North Battersea Division and won as a Communist with local Labour Party support. This made him Britain’s second Communist Party MP and third Black MP.

Banknote developed by Robert Owen (1771-1858) in 1833, counting the hours of work to abolish money.

The artist and suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst was a militant campaigner for voting rights for women. More than once she was arrested, but went on campaiging in prison. In 1913 she held a hunger strike in prison, for which the WSPU (Women's Social and Political Union) awarded her this honorary medal.

Walter Crane was one of the most influential socialist artists of his time. This print, calling for the celebration of Labour Day, May 1, was published in many countries. This is the German edition.