British Fascists
Encyclopedia
The British Fascists were the first avowedly fascist
organisation in the United Kingdom
. William Joyce
, Neil Francis Hawkins
, Maxwell Knight
and Arnold Leese
were amongst those to have passed through the movement as members and activists.
in the aftermath of Benito Mussolini
's March on Rome
, and originally operated under the Italian
-sounding name British Fascisti. The party were paid little attention by the wider political establishment, being viewed as little more than an adult version of the Scout
movement, and had few policies beyond admiration for Mussolini and virulent anti-communism
.
Containing many former army officers and other veterans of World War I
, the party confined itself to stewarding Conservative Party
meetings, and canvassing
for the party (a policy which saw some of the more radical members split to form the National Fascisti
). One of their few policies was a call for a reduction in income tax
so that the well-off could hire more servants and so reduce unemployment
. Towards the end of the life the BF advocated a corporate state.
their aspect, and underline their patriotic
credentials. It had been roundly criticised and accused of being in the pay of a foreign leader, Mussolini, largely because of their name. Along with the change of name, the British Fascists also began to become politically more mature, particularly after the General Strike of 1926, which they saw as a first step towards Communism
in Britain.
They were not however permitted to join the government's official Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies
(set up to mobilise a non-striking workforce) without first relinquishing Fascism. As a result a further split occurred as a number of members, calling themselves the Loyalists and led by former BF President Brigadier-General R.B.D. Blakeney
, did just that.
The strike severely damaged the party as it failed to precipitate the "Bolshevik
Revolution" that Lintorn-Orman had set the party up to fight. In fact the strike was largely peaceful and restrained, and following it the BF lacked purpose and direction.
, a cut down on those eligible to vote, and a raft of anti-trade union
legislation. In 1927 the followers of the movement adopted a blue uniform, in the form of a military tunic and peaked cap.
After 1931, they abandoned their attempts to form a distinctly British version of Fascism, and instead adopted the full programme of Mussolini and his National Fascist Party
. The emergence of the British Union of Fascists
(BUF) severely damaged the fortunes of the British Fascists, as did the passing of a series of public order laws in the 1930s that banned uniforms and curtailed the right to demonstrate
. Lintorn-Orman and the main leadership rejected any merger although the BUF claimed the bulk of the old movement's membership in 1932, when Neil Francis Hawkins
split from Lintorn-Orman and moved towards Oswald Mosley
along with two other members of the Headquarters Committee, Lieutenant-Colonel H.W. Johnson and E.G. Mandeville Roe.
In a bid to reverse their decline the party adopted a strongly anti-semitic platform, Thurlow notes: 'it was noticeable that the BF became increasingly anti-semitic in its death throes.' Additionally, the BF became outspoken supporters of Hitler's Germany. However, the loss of members to the BUF had was too great a blow to recover from. The few remaining members struggled on until the death of Lintorn-Orman in May 1935. The party followed her in October of the same year.
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
organisation in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. William Joyce
William Joyce
William Joyce , nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an Irish-American fascist politician and Nazi propaganda broadcaster to the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He was hanged for treason by the British as a result of his wartime activities, even though he had renounced his British nationality...
, Neil Francis Hawkins
Neil Francis Hawkins
Neil Francis Hawkins was a leading British fascist, both before and after the Second World War.-British Fascisti:A salesman of surgical instruments by trade, Francis Hawkins, a homosexual, was a descendant of the sailor John Hawkins...
, Maxwell Knight
Maxwell Knight
Charles Henry Maxwell Knight OBE, known as Maxwell Knight, was an English spymaster, naturalist and broadcaster, whilst reputedly being a model for the James Bond character M.-Spymaster:...
and Arnold Leese
Arnold Leese
Arnold Spencer Leese was a British veterinarian and fascist politician. He was born in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England and educated at Giggleswick School....
were amongst those to have passed through the movement as members and activists.
Early years
They were formed in 1923 by Miss Rotha Lintorn-OrmanRotha Lintorn-Orman
-Early life:Born as Rotha Beryl Orman in Kensington London, she was the daughter of Charles Edward Orman, a Major from the Essex Regiment, and her maternal grandfather was Field Marshal Sir John Lintorn Arabin Simmons...
in the aftermath of Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
's March on Rome
March on Rome
The March on Rome was a march by which Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party came to power in the Kingdom of Italy...
, and originally operated under the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
-sounding name British Fascisti. The party were paid little attention by the wider political establishment, being viewed as little more than an adult version of the Scout
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
movement, and had few policies beyond admiration for Mussolini and virulent anti-communism
Anti-communism
Anti-communism is opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed in reaction to the rise of communism, especially after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia and the beginning of the Cold War in 1947.-Objections to communist theory:...
.
Containing many former army officers and other veterans of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the party confined itself to stewarding Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
meetings, and canvassing
Canvassing
Canvassing is the systematic initiation of direct contact with a target group of individuals commonly used during political campaigns. A campaign team will knock on doors of private residences within a particular geographic area, engaging in face-to-face personal interaction with voters...
for the party (a policy which saw some of the more radical members split to form the National Fascisti
National Fascisti
The National Fascisti were a splinter group from the British Fascisti formed in 1924. In the early days of the British Fascisti the movement lacked any real policy or direction and so this group split away with the intention of pursuing a more definite path towards a fascist...
). One of their few policies was a call for a reduction in income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
so that the well-off could hire more servants and so reduce unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
. Towards the end of the life the BF advocated a corporate state.
The 1926 strike
The British Fascists name was subsequently taken by the movement in an attempt to AngliciseAnglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
their aspect, and underline their patriotic
Patriotism
Patriotism is a devotion to one's country, excluding differences caused by the dependencies of the term's meaning upon context, geography and philosophy...
credentials. It had been roundly criticised and accused of being in the pay of a foreign leader, Mussolini, largely because of their name. Along with the change of name, the British Fascists also began to become politically more mature, particularly after the General Strike of 1926, which they saw as a first step towards Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
in Britain.
They were not however permitted to join the government's official Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies
Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies
Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies was a British right-wing movement established in 1925 to provide volunteers in the event of a general strike...
(set up to mobilise a non-striking workforce) without first relinquishing Fascism. As a result a further split occurred as a number of members, calling themselves the Loyalists and led by former BF President Brigadier-General R.B.D. Blakeney
R.B.D. Blakeney
Brigadier-General Robert Byron Drury Blakeney, generally known as R.B.D. Blakeney, was a British Army general and fascist politician...
, did just that.
The strike severely damaged the party as it failed to precipitate the "Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
Revolution" that Lintorn-Orman had set the party up to fight. In fact the strike was largely peaceful and restrained, and following it the BF lacked purpose and direction.
Decline
The movement developed a programme that called for a strengthening of the House of LordsHouse of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, a cut down on those eligible to vote, and a raft of anti-trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
legislation. In 1927 the followers of the movement adopted a blue uniform, in the form of a military tunic and peaked cap.
After 1931, they abandoned their attempts to form a distinctly British version of Fascism, and instead adopted the full programme of Mussolini and his National Fascist Party
National Fascist Party
The National Fascist Party was an Italian political party, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of fascism...
. The emergence of the British Union of Fascists
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
(BUF) severely damaged the fortunes of the British Fascists, as did the passing of a series of public order laws in the 1930s that banned uniforms and curtailed the right to demonstrate
Freedom of assembly
Freedom of assembly, sometimes used interchangeably with the freedom of association, is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests...
. Lintorn-Orman and the main leadership rejected any merger although the BUF claimed the bulk of the old movement's membership in 1932, when Neil Francis Hawkins
Neil Francis Hawkins
Neil Francis Hawkins was a leading British fascist, both before and after the Second World War.-British Fascisti:A salesman of surgical instruments by trade, Francis Hawkins, a homosexual, was a descendant of the sailor John Hawkins...
split from Lintorn-Orman and moved towards Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
along with two other members of the Headquarters Committee, Lieutenant-Colonel H.W. Johnson and E.G. Mandeville Roe.
In a bid to reverse their decline the party adopted a strongly anti-semitic platform, Thurlow notes: 'it was noticeable that the BF became increasingly anti-semitic in its death throes.' Additionally, the BF became outspoken supporters of Hitler's Germany. However, the loss of members to the BUF had was too great a blow to recover from. The few remaining members struggled on until the death of Lintorn-Orman in May 1935. The party followed her in October of the same year.