John Maclean was a Scottish schoolteacher and revolutionary socialist of the Red Clydeside era. He was notable for his outspoken opposition to World War I, which caused his arrest under the Defence of
John Maclean in December of 1918 upon his release from prison
Maclean delivering his famous 'Speech from the Dock'.
John Maclean's casket being removed from his Pollokshaws home on Auldhouse Road.
Grave of John Maclean in September 2025.
British Socialist Party
Videos
The British Socialist Party was a Marxist political organisation established in Great Britain in 1911. Following a protracted period of factional struggle, in 1916 the party's anti-war forces gained d
John Maclean (Scottish socialist)
…been appointed Bolshevik representative in Scotland, he was not in harmony with the Communist Party of Great Britain, even though it had absorbed the British Socialist Party, to which he had belonged. In captivity, Maclean had been on hunger strike, and prolonged force-feeding had permanently affected his health. He collapsed…
The BSP was a de facto Communist Party prior to the establishment of the CPGB in the summer of 1920.