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Padmore, George (1903–1959)

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The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism

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Synonyms

Biography; George Padmore; Marxism; Pan-Africanism

Definition

This essay explores the life and work of pan-Africanist, journalist, and author George Padmore (1903–1959).

George Padmore was a radical anti-imperial activist most well-known for his leadership of the Communist International’s Negro Bureau in the early 1930s, his key role in organizing the 1945 Manchester Pan-African Congress, and as a political mentor to Kwame Nkrumah, first prime minister of Ghana. Born in the British colony of Trinidad in 1903 under the name Malcolm Nurse, the boy who would become known as George Padmore is usually celebrated as an important leader of the Pan-African movement. His thinking and his activism, however, actually encompassed a much wider and more complex range of traditions that was most sharply focused on a Marxian analysis of capitalism and imperialism. He published ten books and thousands of newspaper articles that focused on the policies and practices of colonialism, as well as...

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References

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Padmore Books and Pamphlets

  • Padmore, G. (1934). Ethiopia today. The making of a modern state. In N. Cunard (Ed.), Negro Anthology. London: Wishart and Company.

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  • Padmore, G. (1937). Africa and world peace. London: Secker and Warburg.

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  • Padmore, G. (Ed.). (1945). Voice of coloured labour. Manchester: Panaf Services.

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  • Padmore, G. (Ed.). (1947). Colonial and coloured unity, a programme of action and history of the Pan African congress. Manchester: Panaf Services.

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  • Padmore, G. (1949). Africa: Britain’s third empire. London: Dennis Dobson.

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  • Padmore, G. (1953). Gold coast revolution. London: Dennis Dobson.

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  • Padmore, G. (1956). Pan-Africanism or communism? London: Dennis Dobson.

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  • Padmore, G., & Cunard, N. (1942). The White Man’s Duty: An analysis of the colonial question in the light of the Atlantic Charter. London: W.H. Allen.

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Newspapers Padmore wrote for

Selected Works

  • Baptiste, F., & Lewis, R. (Eds.). (2009). George Padmore: Pan-African revolutionary. Kingston: Ian Randle.

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  • Hooker, J. R. (1967). Black revolutionary: George Padmore’s path from communism to Pan-Africanism. London: Pall Mall Press.

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  • James, C. L. R. (1984). At the rendezvous of victory: Selected writings. London: Allison and Busby.

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  • Polsgrove, C. (2009). Ending British rule in Africa: Writers in a common cause. Manchester: University of Manchester Press.

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  • Schwarz, B. (2003). George Padmore. In B. Schwarz (Ed.), West Indian intellectuals in Britain. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

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  • Trewhela, P. (1988a). The death of Albert Nzula and the silence of George Padmore. Searchlight South Africa, 1(1), 64–69.

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  • Trewhela, P. (1988b). George Padmore, a critique: Pan-Africanism or Marxism? Searchlight South Africa, 1(1), 42–63.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Leslie James

Authors
  1. Leslie James
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Correspondence to Leslie James .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate Center for Worker Education, Brooklyn College, New York, NY, USA

    Immanuel Ness

  2. Independent Scholar, Belfast, UK

    Zak Cope

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James, L. (2020). Padmore, George (1903–1959). In: Ness, I., Cope, Z. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91206-6_322-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91206-6_322-1

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-91206-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-91206-6

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