Object of the Month, April 2010: History Lesson
Every month somone from the Library will choose an interesting object, book or document from the Library collection, which will be displayed in the hall of the Library.
April's object was chosen by Lynette Cawthra, Library Manager
‘The Library is full not only of dramatic words, but also of dramatic images', she said. ‘I chose these images as I felt their eloquence spoke for itself'.
The WCML has a collection of fascist and anti-fascist pamphlets and leaflets, spanning a broad range of organisations and campaigns - from the birth of domestic and continental fascism to the present day.
There is a small number of leaflets of Britain's first Fascist party, the British Fascisti (1925-34), and various pamphlets from Oswald Mosley's 'pre-fascist' New Party (1931-32).
In the post-war period, material held here records the splintering of British fascism and its re-emergence in the 1970s with the birth of the National Front and its successful rival, the Anti-Nazi League.
A recent donation to the Library was a large folder of pamphlets and other material about Burnley Anti-Nazi League's work from the 1990s onwards.
The Library will be collecting a wide range of material from the 2010 General Election campaign for use by future readers - in line with our founders' belief in the importance of working class people learning from history in their struggle to improve their world.
Please contact us if you would like a copy of our new A4-size flyer ‘History Lesson' illustrating anti-fascist material from the Library's collections.