E. P. Thompson

Date of Birth: February 3, 1924

Zodiac Sign: Aquarius

Date of Death: August 28, 1993

Biography

Edward Palmer Thompson, commonly known as E. P. Thompson, was a prominent British historian, writer, and activist. He was born into an intellectual family; his father, Edward John Thompson, was a poet and scholar, and his mother, Theodosia Jessup, was a social worker. Thompson is best known for his seminal work “The Making of the English Working Class,” published in 1963, which redefined the discipline of social history by focusing on the experiences and agency of common people. He was a key figure in the New Left movement in Britain during the 1950s and 1960s and contributed extensively to the publication “The New Reasoner,” which aimed to promote socialist humanism. Thompson was also an outspoken critic of nuclear weapons and was actively involved in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). Besides his historical works, Thompson wrote novels, poetry, and polemical essays, demonstrating his wide-ranging intellectual interests and talents.

5 Interesting Facts about E. P. Thompson

1. E. P. Thompson served in the British Army during World War II, specifically in the Italian Campaign.

2. His book “The Making of the English Working Class” has been translated into numerous languages and remains a foundational text in the field of social history.

3. Thompson was a professor at the University of Warwick, where he played a key role in establishing the Centre for the Study of Social History.

4. He was a founding member of the British New Left and contributed to the development of the New Left Review.

5. Thompson’s interests extended beyond history; he wrote a science fiction novel titled “The Sykaos Papers,” published in 1988.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from E. P. Thompson

1. “I am concerned with the way in which ideas and ideologies move and change in real social contexts.”

2. “The working class did not rise like the sun at an appointed time. It was present at its own making.”

3. “History is not just what happens. It is also what people say about what happens.”

4. “I think we have to establish our own anti-authoritarian credentials in every generation.”

5. “The aim of the historian, as of the artist, is not to construct a model but to explore the many dimensions of human experience.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

E. P. Thompson’s highest net worth is not well-documented, as he was primarily an academic and activist rather than a commercial figure. However, his influence and contributions to social history are considered invaluable.

Children

E. P. Thompson had three children: 1. Kate Thompson, a novelist and journalist. 2. Frank Thompson, a filmmaker and historian. 3. Thomas Thompson, whose professional background is less publicly documented.