The history of London is the story of its people – its workers, immigrants, pamphleteers, agitators, exiles and revolutionaries
For nearly 2,000 years, London has been a breeding ground for radical ideas, home to thinkers, heretics and rebels. A People’s History of London presents fascinating portraits of the heroic idealists who made the city their home. Lindsey German and John Rees bring to life the dissident priest John Wycliff and the Levellers’ Civil War struggle. They delve into the travails of the silk weavers, match girls and dockers who crusaded for workers’ rights. And they recount the Battle of Cable Street, where East Enders took on Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts. This updated edition recounts the battles of recent years: the Grenfell disaster, the inspiring Palestine movement, and the fight for a city fit for its people, not one hobbled by developers and landlords.
What People Are Saying
"The history of London we have been waiting for, told with elegance and precision." Ken Loach
"An irrepressible book about an irrepressible community." Zadie Smith
"Those who continue to uphold London’s living traditions of protest will be able to take heart from this fresh and welcome look at the city’s history." Jerry White, Guardian
"It’s the suffragists, silk weavers, militant match girls, Brick Lane anarchists, Tom Paine, William Morris and Karl Marx that make London interesting—then and now the great cauldron of radical ideas and action." John Nichols, The Nation
"A timely reminder that there is a very different side to London, every bit as energetic and exciting in its way." Scotsman
"An inspiring history of radical activism, and this chronicle of these heroes who stood shoulder to shoulder is a timely reminder." Dan Carrier, Camden New Journal
"A fascinating tale of activism (and sometimes success) by such groups as the disenfranchised, those oppressed because of gender or race, and those whose lives developers have upended....Recommended." CHOICE
About the Authors
John Rees is an historian, broadcaster and campaigner. He is coauthor of A People's History of London and author of The Leveller Revolution and Timelines: A Political History of the Modern World, among other titles. He is a Visiting Research Fellow at Goldsmith's, University of London and a National Officer of the Stop the War Coalition.
Lindsey German is a socialist writer and activist who has lived in London all her life. She is convenor of the Stop the War Coalition, stood as candidate for Mayor of London and has written books on women’s liberation, class, and war.
