Everyday Communists in South Africa’s Liberation Struggle: The Lives of Ivan and Lesley Schermbrucker (Palgrave Studies in the History of Social Movements)

Series Editors’ Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents
List of Figures
1 Introduction and Author’s Note
2 The Socio-Political Context, Finding Communism and Ivan and Lesley’s Early Years
	The CPSA/SACP, the ANC, Transnationalism and African Nationalism
	Women in the Struggle
	A Sense of Rootedness: The Colonel
	The Rural Economy: Transkei and Zululand Traders
	Foundations of an Activist Ideology: Ivan’s Childhood and Youth
	Radicalising Influences
	The Party’s Paper: Work, the Move to the Guardian and Funding the Party
	Lesley’s Family and Youth
	Developing a Political Ideology and Establishing a Working Career
	Stalinism
3 Partners in Activism—Ivan and Lesley
	Life Partners and Struggle Partners
	Security Legislation, Repression and Financing the Guardian
	Growing in the Struggle
4 Tightening Repression: Increasing Involvement, Surveillance and Detention
	Security Legislation in the 1960S in Context
	On the Central Committee
	Funding the Revolution and Supporting Its Captured Cadres
	The State Cracks Down—Becoming a Target, Detention and Torture
	Women Filling the Gap
	Stayers vs Leavers in the Struggle
	Situation of the Left at This Time
5 The Trial of Bram Fischer and 13 Others
	Awaiting Trial
	The Accused
	The Trial Begins
	Ivan’s Defence and Cross-Examination
	Judgement and Sentence
	Reflections on Activism—Pre-incarceration Letters
6 Women Picking up the Spear: Lesley’s Increasing Involvement, Arrest and Trial
	Increasing Involvement, Further Arrests and Detentions, Clandestine Meetings, Party Funds and Hiding Bram Fischer
	Lesley’s Arrest and Detention and Bram Fischer’s Preliminary Hearing
	Those Who Gave State Evidence
	Tightening the Net Further—Lelsey and Violet’s Trial
	Caught in the Crossfire—The Children
7 Prison Life
	“Politicals” and “Non-Politicals”
	Ivan
		A More Nationalist Focus
		The Routine of Prison Life
	Lesley
		The Fort
		Barberton
		Changing Ideology
8 Aftermath
	Lesley’s Release
	Ivan’s Release
	Disillusionment with Exiles and Cementing a More Nationalist Ideology
	Helping Those Left Behind in Prison
	Other Activities and Making a Living in Defiance of Restrictive Measures
	Declining Health and Death
References
Index