Growth of Political Extremism; Communism, Mosely, British Union of Fascists (Britain 1900-1951 Period Study 1918-51)

In Britain, there were extreme political parties, but they never got close to power or disrupt daily life.

• Economic crisis
  • Wall Street Crash 1929
  • Banking Crisis 1931.
    • Causes rise of political extremism in Europe.
  • Mass unemployment. Wall street Crash raises it to 3 million it Britain.
• Political extremism in Europe took control through revolution.
  • Also witnessed violent conflict between extreme political countries.
• Rise of fascist dictators.
  • Hitler (Germany)
  • Franco (Spain)
  • Mussolini (Italy)
• Rise of communist dictators
  • Russia (Stalin)
• 1930s devil decade
  • Depression worldwide in all big powers.
  • USA Great Depression
  • Britain faces economic cirsis, defecit budget, failures to solve unemployment.
  • German depression & hyperinflation after WW1.

Communism Party of Great Britain  (1920-1990)

• Inspired by the 1917 revolution
• Beliefs:
  • Based on philosophy of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
  • Wanted a worldwide revolution.
  • Communism can only strive if other countries follows suit.
  • There will be a national working class
• Claimed to provide working & middle classes with a progressive and equal society.
• Building 'new vililisation' after Russian revolution 1917.
• Small party with influence beyond its numbers.
  • Initial membership only 2,500; peaked at 18,000, because of Spanish civil war and Hitler.
  • Put 25 candidates forward in 1929; got on average 5% of vote.

British Union of Fascists (1932) - Formed by Oswald Mosely

• Bigger of the extremist parties; 50,000 members by 1934
• Strong support in Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds  

Neither could dominate in Britain
Working and middle class polarised to the left or the right.

• Mass unemployment
• Pressure of living on the Dole
• World depression due to Wall Street Crash 1929
• Fascism and communism against capitalism
  • Was seen by many as the cause of the Great Depression.
• Capitalism and democracy had been discredited by many people.
  • Due to events of World War 1.
• Important educated academics also believed in extremism 
  • e.g Cambridge spies
• Many people see communism as an antidote to fascism 
  • Lead to polarisation
  • You were either a Communist or a Fascist.

Reasons people Supported the British Union of Fascists

Economic depression & unemployment

• Wall Street Crash 1929 - raises unemployment to 3 million.

Working class discontent

• Typical recruits were young working class men.
• Felt disillusioned with traditional party politics.
• Collapse of economy and 2nd Labour Gov, cuts and means testing.
• Felt they had been failed by the government.
• Felt there were limited efforts to deal with unemployment.
  • Geddes Axe cuts in 1919, failure of 1924 Labour, 1924-1929 Conservatives, and 2nd Labour gov.

Political extremism in Europe

• Impressed by the dynamism European extremists - Italian fascism and Nazi Germany.

• Support from those who wanted better relations with Hitler's Germany
  • Wanted to avoid another World War.
  • Thought Hitler was a great defence against Red Scare

Disillusioned Voters

• Support from traditional Labour supporters after 1931 split.
  • Disillusioned with Labour in 1931.
• Old Labour supporters went to political extremes; both fascism & communism.
• Support from those who wanted better relations with Hitler's Germany
  • Wanted to avoid another World War.
  • Thought Hitler was a great defence against Red Scare
• Seen as an antedote to Communism.
• Ex soldiers still liked the discipline of being the army.
  • Promoted themseves militaristic.

Publicity

• The London standard and daily mail got behind the party - got a huge amount of publicity 
• Mosley had a lot of charisma. - Heavily promoted the party.

Why Did Fascism (as an ideology, not just BUF) Grow?

• Degree of sympathy for anti-Semitism from the ruling classes.
• Racial unity was seen as an antedote to class divisions.
  • Could create a national community.
• Blind obedience, social violence and racism not part of the British mindset.
  • We respect our empire and probably lean on it more than other countries
• Fascism fits into Conservatism at the far end - patriotism
• Hatred of Communism.
  • Seen as an antedote to Communism.
  • Polarised fascists further - drove them furter to the extremes.
• General strike hated by a large number.
  • Was ascociated with trade unions & Communism.
  • Fascism seen as an antidote - could forcefully end strike action.
  • Desire for national efficiency
  • Fascism erradicates complexities and discussions that come with democracy.
• "The greater Britain" wanted to put Britain first appealed to people
• Strong opinion that fascism had solved economic problems

Why Did the BUF Fail?

• Electoral failure.
  • No MPs or even local councillors elected 
• For every supporter it attracted, at least one potential supporter was put off.

Violence & Violent Riots

• Extremism went too far and made them unpopular.
• Violent rallies
  • Indoor rally at Olympia Hall in 1934
  • 'Battle of Cable Street' 1936
• To many people they were symbols of fascist brutality and racism
  • Racism wasn't part of British culture due to relations with the Empire.

Mosely's Leadership

• Started following Hitler's anti-Semitic approach.
  • 1935 membership declined to just 5,000

• Further unpopularity in later 1930s.
  • Due to close association with ideals and racial policies of Nazi Party,
• Terrible at paperwork, so couldn't get unity in party policies.
  • Was the only character in the movement. No one else could do it.
• Focuses on the wrong part of fascism - anti Semitism and Hitler.
• Mosley was upper class but couldn't get their support.
  • Couldn’t get the support of the working classes because he was upper class.

Opposition, Caused by the Outbreak of War

• War destroyed the party
• Mosley and fascists could be Hitler supporters.
• Horror of the Holocaust.
  • Fascists discredited by association with Nazis because they had destroyed a group of people

Economic recovery.

• New industries = the middle classes were not suffering
• Undermined one of they key reasons for the growth of extremism.

Why Did People Support the Communist Party of Great Britain?

• Poor economic situation.
• For a more equal and progressive society.
  • Attracted middle and working class.
• An antedote to fascism.
  • Appealed to many idealistic young people, who were scared of it.
• Breakup of the Labour party 1931.
  • Numbers increased after the split.
  • Some Communist & Labour ideas overlapped.
• Two communist MPs elected in 1922.
• Lots of publicity
  • Disrupted fascists meetings to get publicity using violent means.
  • Published an influential newspaper, The Daily Worker
    • 180,000 distributed across the country.

Why did the Communist Party of Great Britain not get more support?

Opposition

• Much greater fear of communism than fascism by the establishment.
  • Secret service kept an eye on the CPGB
  • Controlled very heavily.
  • Conservatives and establishment over exaggerated the threat of communism.
• 1934 Incitement to Disaffection Act 
  • Law put in place to protect against Communism.
  • Stopped them openly preaching about revolution.
• Party faced considerable opposition.
  • Discredited by the Zinoviev letter (fake) & anti-Russian propaganda
• Distaste growing towards political extremism.
• • Discredited political extremes.
  • Nazi Noviet Pact & Collectivisation 
    
  • Mussolini’s invasion of Abyssinia
  • Kristallnacht horrified the British people

Issues with Leadership

• Both CPGB and BUF had no outstanding leader
• Strength of Britain's political institutions.
  • Monarchy democracy
• Labour would accept their affiliation.
  • Party was caught between working with Labour & the trade unions & staying independent.
• Failure of the general strike.
  • Showed the limitation of radical working class activity.
• Leaders arrested for treason in 1926.
  • Imprisoned for a few years.

Communism as an Ideology

• Britain did not have the same appetite for Communism.
  • Rigid class system and constitutional monarchy doesn't sit well with the British mindset.
• Pure communism was a minority political a belief.
  • Support concentrated in certain radicalised areas.
  • Not widespread.

Extreme Actions

• Moscow encouraged them to stir up revolution and class conflicts.
  • Made them unpopular
• Violence of communists towards other left wing groups in the Spanish Civil War.

Labour Party was a Moderate Alternative

• Labour Party and trade unions were moderate.
  • Rejected all attempts to bring about a popular front against fascism.
• Moderates like Bevin influential in the trade union movement.

Economic recovery.

• New industries = the middle classes were not suffering
• Undermined one of they key reasons for the growth of extremism.

What Lead to the Growth of Political Extremism?

Fascism & Communism rose for many of the same reasons...

• Economic depression & widespread unemployment
• Exploitation of working class discontent.
• Polarisation; fascism was seen as an antedote for communism, and vice versa.
• Political extremism in Europe
• Publicity
• Disillusioned voters

Why Did Political Extremism Fall?

Fascism & Communism fell for many of the same reasons...

• Opposition
• Issues with leadership
• Ideologies themsleves.
• Economic recovery 
• Extreme actions & violence