Working class son
Subtitle: my fight against capitalism and war : memoirs of Ron Smith, a New Zealand Communist
By: [edited by Harry Orsman].
Contributors: Orsman, H. W.
Publisher: R. Smith
Published: 1994
Place of publication: Wellington
Language: eng
Number of pages: 256
Subjects: Smith, Ron, 1921 May 2-; Communists -- New Zealand -- Biography.; New Zealand -- Social conditions.; New Zealand -- Economic conditions.; New Zealand -- Politics and government.
Description: This book is the first full biography of a New Zealand communist.The Communist Party has played a significant role in our history, especially in the turbulent years of the Depression and the rise of Fascism. Until now, however, there has been no full biography of any of it members ... What motivates people to join the Party? what activities do they carry out as Party members? How do they conduct struggles on policy issues? This book not only throws light on these questions. It is a detailed account of an extraordinary life. The author's father was a "Red Fed" tunneller on the Otira tunnel and the family endured 6 years of unemployment in the Great Depression. He was a boy scout leader and a mountaineer, a navigator of a Mosquito night fighter, a leader in the Students' Association and the Socialist Club at Victoria University, a senior public servant and an activist in the Public Service Association, a leader in the anti-nuclear struggle -- and fromm 1942 onwards a prominent communist, standing five times for Parliament for the Island Bay seat, red-baited by "Truth" and by Rob Muldoon." -- Back cover.
Notes: Includes index.