Red Clydeside

Literature and propaganda

The red dawn

A book of verse for revolutionaries and others

Sep 1915

Albert Young was a well-known Marxist who worked with British Socialist Party member Tom Anderson, a founder of the Proletarian Schools. The schools were run on a similar basis to traditional Sunday schools but with the emphasis on the teachings of Marx and revolutionary socialism. At their peak of popularity in the early 1920s the schools had over 30 branches in cities and towns throughout Scotland and England.

The Proletarian Schools were responsible for writing and publishing their own books of verse and poetry which were made available to the public as well as being used to teach the basic principles of Marxism and socialism to pupils of the schools.

The aim of the schools and was to provide a counterbalance to the perceived wisdom of the established political order and industrial capitalism, and to influence pupils to move in a revolutionary direction and help to sustain their commitment on a long-term basis.

Source: Bissett Collection, Glasgow University Special Collections