Civil Liberties and Human Rights in Twentieth-Century Britain

The first comprehensive account of civil liberties activism throughout twentieth-century Britain, focusing primarily on the National Council for Civil Liberties.

Chris Moores (Author)

9781107459700, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 April 2020

346 pages, 2 b/w illus. 2 tables
23 x 15 x 2 cm, 0.51 kg

'… a revealing account of a long-lived NGO, with many insights into British politics and society through its lifetime. … Moores provides an excellent survey and analysis of the many, complex activities of NCCL/Liberty and its shifting fortunes over time.' Pat Thane, Cercles

The National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL) was formed in the 1930s against a backdrop of fascism and 'popular front' movements. In this volatile political atmosphere, the aim of the NCCL was to ensure that civil liberties were a central component of political discourse. Chris Moores's new study shows how the NCCL - now Liberty - had to balance the interests of extremist allies with the desire to become a respectable force campaigning for human rights and civil liberties. From new social movements of the 1960s and 1970s to the formation of the Human Rights Act in 1998, this study traces the NCCL's development over the last eighty years. It enables us to observe shifts and continuities in forms of political mobilisation throughout the twentieth century, changes in discourse about extensions and retreats of freedoms, as well as the theoretical conceptualisation and practical protection of rights and liberties.

Introduction
Part I. Civil Liberties in the Age of the Popular Front: 1. Decent citizens and agitators: civil liberties activism in the 1930s
2. From civil liberties to human rights: British civil liberties activism and Universal human rights
Part II. Civil Liberties, a Rights Revolution, and New Social Movements: 3. The progressive professionals: the National Council for Civil Liberties and the politics of activism in 1960s Britain
4. From progressive to radical: the 1970s and a crisis of civil liberties
Part III. NGOs and the Consolidation of Human Rights: 5. The road to freedom: civil liberties, human rights and the evolution of the NGO in the age of Thatcher
6. The politics of vigilance: human rights activism during and beyond the age of New Labour.

Subject Areas: Human rights [JPVH], Politics & government [JP], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW]