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.

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

About the Author
Chris Moores is a Birmingham Fellow at the University of Birmingham where he is Director of Modern British Studies. He has taught widely on British social and political history, global social movements, and the international human rights movement, and has published work within Twentieth Century British History, Contemporary European History and History Workshop Journal.

Reviews
'... 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



Book Information
ISBN 9781107088610
Author Chris Moores
Format Hardback
Page Count 344
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 630g
Dimensions(mm) 235mm * 160mm * 22mm