A critical examination of the labour government and Trades Union Congress in the immediate postwar period, this book argues that the Cold War was not just a traditional conflict between states but also an attempt to contain the growth of radical working-class movements at home and abroad.

This book is organized as a series of case studies, linked by two main themes of TUC and Labour government collaboration: their attempts to influence the trade union movements of European and Third World workers toward policies favorable to Britain, and their use of the issue of anticommunism as a means of overcoming opposition to their programs and shaping the views of their followers.<

Introduction
Part I. Trade Union Diplomacy: 1. Forming responsible trade unions
2. Refounding the international trade union movement
Part II. Working-Class Politics and the Cold War: 3. The breakup of the world federation of trade unions
4. British intervention in the Greek trade union movement
5. The revival of the German trade union movement
Part III. The Politics of Anti-Communism: 6. Manufacturing consensus
7. The London dock strike of 1949
Conclusion
Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index.