Red Threads

'Ranging around every corner of the globe but ending with an inspiring event on the author's doorstep in Glasgow, this panoramic yet humane book tells the story of a symbol of revolt and revenge, equality and bureaucracy, freedom and dictatorship, presenting the history of the workers movement in all its complexities, warts and all'

-- Owen Hatherley, author of Walking the Streets/Walking the Projects

'Henry Bell takes us on a thrilling journey through radical history to explain why the red flag, though tarnished by totalitarianism, retains its power as an iconic symbol in the struggle for a better world'

-- Billy Bragg, musician and activist

'A great read. The red flag flying, a flame that can never be extinguished. The epic story of this universal symbol, so stirring, vivid, vital, its beautiful and humane ideals so often blood-soaked and betrayed, here told with passion and erudition, not flinching from a single terror or contradiction. You'll find herein thrilling histories of so many individuals, women and men, heroes, martyrs, communards and comrades, bonny fechters, the workers and writers lavishly quoted, the artists and activists worldwide throughout the last two centuries who have been, and still are, part of the ongoing imperfect – because human – struggle. I learned so much from this book.'

-- Liz Lochhead, poet

'I loved this book, it was thrilling to learn about these radical rebels and revolutionaries, and to feel that this is a history we can all connect with and be inspired by.'

-- Josie Long, comedian

'Intense and gripping, Red Threads tells a grand history of hope, disappointment and potential rejuvenation through the drama of the people and movements who flew and still fly the red flag.'

-- Ewan Gibbs, University of Glasgow

'From Paris to Petrograd, Delhi to Detroit, Merthyr Tydfil to Mexico City, Cairo to Cape Town, Henry Bell deftly traces the shifting meanings of the red flag to the people who flew it and to those who sought to tear it down through revolutions, rebellions and revolts. An internationalist tour de force of revolutionary history encompassing stunning victories and crushing defeats, Red Threads will also serve as a source of inspiration to those who wish to keep the red flag flying today.'

-- Hannah Proctor, historian and author of Burnout: The Emotional Experience of Political Defeat