Bernard Emile Vivian Burns (16 April 1889 – 29 November 1972) was a British communist, economist, translator and author as an active member of the Communist Party of Great Britain.
Emile Burns | |
|---|---|
| Born | Bernard Emile Vivian Burns 16 April 1889 |
| Died | 29 November 1972 (aged 83) London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, translator, journalist |
| Political party | Communist Party of Great Britain |
| Spouse | Elinor Burns |
Early life and family
editEmile Burns was born in Basseterre, St Kitts, on 29 November 1889, the son of James Patrick Burns, the Treasurer and Harbour Master of St. Kitts and Nevis. He had three brothers, Cecil, Robert and Alan, and one sister, Agnes. As a child, he and other boys would often swim out to the ships that were too big to come into the harbour, black and white boys played and swam together. However, once they reached their teens they were no longer allowed to play together.[1][2] Burns attended Trinity College, Cambridge to study economics. While there, he met Elinor Enfield, and the two married in Nottinghamshire in 1913.[3] Their first daughter, Susannah, was born 11 September 1914, and Marca was born on 4 January 1916.[1] At this time Emile Burns was working for Cunard,[2] but was also serving on a national committee enquiring into poverty, which had been set up by Eleanor Rathbone, and which published Equal Pay and the Family: A Proposal for the National Endowment of Motherhood.[1] The family moved to London sometime after April 1918 but prior to the end of World War I.[2]
Politics
editEmile and Elinor were both members of the Independent Labour Party, Emile joining the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) in 1921, followed by Elinor in 1923.[1][4] Emile found work as the secretary of the Labour Research Department, except during the UK general strike, when he worked as propaganda secretary of the St Pancras Trades Council.[1]
Emile was a supporter of the London busmen's rank and file movement in the 1930s, and edited its newspaper, The Busmen's Punch.[5] In 1935, he was elected to the CPGB's executive, ultimately serving for more than twenty years.[4] He held many positions within the party, most focusing on cultural or educational activity,[4] including a spell as head of the party's propaganda department. He spent a period as editor of the Communist Review, and was later editor of the World News. In the early 1950s, he did much of the preparation work for the party's new programme, the British Road to Socialism.[5]
Burns translated both political and non-political writings from Russian, France and German into English, including Friedrich Engels's Anti-Dühring, and parts of Karl Marx's Theories of Surplus Value. He wrote works of his own including Handbook of Marxism, What is Marxism and Introduction to Marxism, successive basic explanations of Marxism.[5]
Books and pamphlets
edit- Finance; an introductory course for classes and study circles 1922
- Imperialism: an outline course for students classes and study circles 1927
- Agriculture by H. B. Pointing and E. Burns 1927
- Russia's Productive System 1930
- The 2 classes in 1931
- The only way out 1932
- Capitalism, communism, and the transition 1933
- What Is The Communist Party? 1933
- The Roosevelt Illusion by Burns, Emile & Roy, F M 1934
- Karl Liebknecht 1934
- A Handbook of Marxism 1935
- Abyssinia and Italy 1935
- Spain 1936
- The People's Front 1936
- Difficulties Facing Peace 1936
- Money ~ The New People's Library Volume I 1937
- Communist Affiliation Pamphlet – 1937
- What Is Marxism? 1 Jan 1939
- Party Organiser (CPGB) November 1939 (pamphlet)
- Mr. Keynes Answered : an Examination of the Keynes Plan 1940
- The Soviet Union and Finland (pamphlet) 1940
- Labour's Way Forward 1942
- Jobs, Homes, Security: Post-war Britain and the Way to Socialism (pamphlet) 1944
- The Case for Affiliation: The Labour Party and the Communist Party 1943
- The Fight for Labours Programme 1946
- The Soviet Transition from Socialism to Communism 1950
- The Meaning of Socialism 1950
- Introduction to Marxism Dec 1961
- Right-wing Labour: Its theory and Practice 1961
- Communism: Your Questions Answered 1963
- President Nkrumah on Neo-Colonialism 1966 (pamphlet)
- Money and Inflation 1968
- Winning the peace
- The Triumph of Communism: Communist Manifesto Centenary Speech
- The World of to-Day: Modern Finance
- The Marxist Reader: The Most Significant and Enduring Works of Marxism
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Emile Burns". Compendium of Communist Biography. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
- ^ a b c Burns, Marca (2000). Marca's Memories, a document written by Marca Burns in her later years and circulated at her memorial.
- ^ Stevenson, Graham. "Elinor Burns". Compendium of Communist Biography. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- ^ a b c McIlroy, John; Morgan, Kevin; Campbell, Alan (2001). Party People, Communist Lives. London: Lawrence and Wishart. p. 240. ISBN 085315936X.
- ^ a b c "Emile Burns: Marxist scholar". The Times. 9 February 1972.