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In 1918 the Labour party began to build for power by embarking on a plan of reorganisation aimed at creating a national network of local branches through which it would recruit, engage and mobilise a 'mass membership'. This study assesses how that ambitious project played out in Manchester, a 'model' industrial city between 1918 and 1931. It concludes that despite significant electoral progress the goal of building a mass membership party organisation was largely frustrated by the unwillingness of more than a small minority of the public to embrace political activism. The study offers important evidence about Labour's growth in the immediate post-1918 period and provides useful insights into the nature of political activism and engagement which have a contemporary resonance.