Why were liberalists and communists at odds with each other?

Much discussion of religion and politics today tends to focus on Islam or on the links between various evangelical Christian groups and the Right in the United States. It is often forgotten that Christians have at various times been actively involved with the Left. A great deal has been written about Communism and Christianity, from the philosophical similarities between them to interpretations of Communism as a secular religion not dissimilar to Catholicism in its hierarchical, centralized structures. It is not for nothing that one of the most famous books denouncing Communism is entitled The God That Failed.1 Practical cooperation between Communists and Christians has been less well documented. This article intends to examine their work together in the British peace movement, particularly in organizations opposing nuclear weapons, an area which has received very little academic attention.2 Two particular examples will be concentrated on. The first is the activities of the British Peace Committee (BPC), the British section of the World Peace Council, in the early 1950s.3 Collaboration between Christians and Communists was embodied by the Dean of Canterbury, Hewlett Johnson, who was a leading figure in the BPC. The second case concerns the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) at the beginning of the 1980s. Here the Catholic priest Bruce Kent epitomized joint work. The periods under study represent the most significant phases of mass mobilization against nuclear weapons in Britain.

Explanation: