The Failure Of British Fascism

This book focuses on the different fascist movements which have existed in Britain during the twentieth century from the British Fascists of the 1920s to the British National Party of the 1990s. Three main themes are covered in the book: an outline of the policies, tactics and ideologies of the different movements; a discussion of the notion of failure, and how that term should be applied to British fascism; and coverage of the different strengths of British political society which are seen to have prevented a breakthrough of British fascism in the arena of electoral politics.

'Tomorrow We Live' (1938) by Oswald Mosley is the book whose style most closely resembles the emotive tone of his speeches. There was good reason for this: British Union, the Movement that Mosley led, was by now engaged in a life or death struggle to avert the coming War that would cost 60-million people their lives. With great clarity Mosley restates his policies that would save Britain from recurring Slump and draws the line between anti-Semitism and his own necessary criticism of certain Jewish interests. Then he reminds the reader that 'Mankind has no greater enemy than War and War has no greater enemy than British Union'. He contrasts the policy of the British government, to threaten powerful nations with war whilst maintaining minimal defence forces, with his own policy, of threatening no other country but having the strongest army, navy and air force in the world. Mosley advocates that Britain should only fight if Britain is attacked. To travel round the world starting wars with other countries because we don't approve of their system of government would condemn Britain to perpetual war - there is always some country somewhere of which to disapprove. He also addresses the charge of continental influence: "We do not borrow ideas from foreign countries and we have no 'models' abroad for a plain and simple reason. We are proud enough of our own people to believe that once Britain is awake our people will not follow but will lead Mankind. In this deep faith we hold that no lesser destiny is worthy of our people than that the whole world shall find in Britain an example."

This book provides a comprehensive history of the ideas and ideologues associated with the racial fascist tradition in Britain. It charts the evolution of the British extreme right from its post-war genesis after 1918 to its present-day incarnations, and details the ideological and strategic evolution of British fascism through the prism of its principal leaders and the movements with which they were associated. Taking a collective biographical approach, the book focuses on the political careers of six principal ideologues and leaders, Arnold Leese (1878–1956); Sir Oswald Mosley (1896–1980); A.K. Chesterton (1899–1973); Colin Jordan (1923–2009); John Tyndall (1934–2005); and Nick Griffin (1959–), in order to study the evolution of the racial ideology of British fascism, from overtly biological conceptions of ‘white supremacy’ through ‘racial nationalism’ and latterly to ‘cultural’ arguments regarding ‘ethno-nationalism’. Drawing on extensive archival research and often obscure primary texts and propaganda as well as the official records of the British government and its security services, this is the definitive historical account of Britain’s extreme right and will be essential reading for all students and scholars of race relations, extremism and fascism.

The period between the two World Wars saw the emergence of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes in most European countries, and the development of powerful communist and fascist movements in most others. This book examines the reasons why such movements did not flourish in Britain.

This book examines the domestic evolution and international connections of post-war fascists in the UK. It argues that post-war British fascism became transnational as the radicals increasingly exchanged ideas, money and culture with like-minded foreigners. Using interviews with key figures in several countries, this book traces the history of the National Front (NF) and British National Party (BNP), focusing on the political parties’ youth, music and international outreach. It explores how British fascism grew into an international movement, how fascist youth developed skinhead music as a conduit for their ideas, and how some of those key figures made international connections with people in Iraq, Libya, Syria and the United States. Moreover, it also draws from rare internal party documents, law enforcement records and membership lists to track foreign funding and the parties’ domestic electoral growth. For the first time, this book gained access to both the leadership and rank-and-file of the BNP and NF to explore its culture and international connections. In doing so, it shows the successes, failures and changes that have made British fascism a force in the international extremist subculture.

"The book provides a comprehensive history of the ideas and ideologues associated with the racial fascist tradition in Britain. It charts the evolution of white racial nationalism in Britain as a political manifestation, from its origins amongst a range of pro-Nazi groupuscules in the 1930s, to the margins of the mainstream reached by the British National Party (BNP) at the peak of its powers in 2009. It charts this history through the prism of its principal leaders and the movements with which they were associated, in order to study the evolution of its racial ideology from overtly biological conceptions of 'white supremacy' through 'racial nationalism' and latterly to 'cultural' arguments regarding 'ethno-nationalism'. Drawing on extensive archival research and often obscure primary texts and propaganda as well as the official records of the British government and its security services, this is the definitive account of fascism in Britain and will be essential reading for all students and scholars of race relations, extremism and fascism."--Provided by publisher.

Hated and adored, trusted and feared, respected and scorned - public opinion has never been indifferent to Sir Oswald Mosley. A skilled politician, Mosley turned his back on conventional party politics to found, in 1932, the British Union of Fascists. Over the intervening years, many have worked hard to guard Mosley's reputation but Blackshirt casts new light on the man. It reveals the true nature of his relationship with the Nazis, and challenges the prevailing view of his descent into anti-Semitism. With ground-breaking research, Stephen Dorril uncovers an extraordinary set of characters and behind-the-scenes friends and colleagues who supported Mosley - the crooks, swindlers, political and royal figures, secret agents, Nazi spies, lovers and 'crackpots' - and who helped to create the most infamous politician of the twentieth century. Praise for Blackshirt: 'The authority of this book rests on thorough research' - Sunday Telegraph 'An exhaustively researched and provocative study' - Sunday Times Stephen Dorril is a widely respected authority on the security and intelligence services. He has written several books on intelligence and contemporary history, most recently MI6, covering the last fifty years of special operations. He is a regular consultant on TV documentaries and is a senior lecturer at Huddersfield University. He lives near Huddersfield

Britain is celebrated for having avoided the extremism, political violence and instability that blighted many European countries between the two world wars. But her success was a closer thing than has been realized. Disillusionment with parliamentary democracy, outbreaks of fascist violence and fears of communist subversion in industry and the Empire ran through the entire period. Fascist organizations may have failed to attract the support they achieved elsewhere but fascist ideas were adopted from top to bottom of society and by men and women in all parts of the country. This book will demonstrate for the first time the true spread and depth of fascist beliefs - and the extent to which they were distinctly British. Like the Continental movements, fascism in the UK encompassed the corporate state, charismatic leadership and youthful rejection of the decadent rule of the older generation. But was it less anti-Semitic? Was it readier to adopt a feminist agenda? And was the fact that Britain finally repudiated fascism more a matter of timing and chance than of fundamental obstacles in British society and politics? HURRAH FOR THE BLACKSHIRTS!, rich in anecdotes and extraordinary characters, shows us an inter-war Britain on the high-road to fascism but never quite arriving at its destination.