The Development of the Ideas and Policy of the British Union of Fascists, 1932-40

Abstract

Until the appearance of Neill Nugent's article on the ideas of the British Union of Fascists (BUF) in 1977,' this aspect of British fascism had been largely ignored. Previous work on the BUF concentrated mainly upon questions related to the character of Sir Oswald Mosley, the movement's leader and prime mover, and the novel features of the BUF's organization and campaigns, together with such aspects as anti-semitism and violence. Indeed, recent work on the topic has returned to questions of organization and historical narrative; for example, Gerry Webber's interesting contribution to the question of BUF membership,2 and J.D. Brewer's study of the BUF in the West Midlands.3 However, to date, Nugent's article remains the main commentary on the ideological orientation of Britain's primary fascist movement. Nugent's article was the first attempt to provide a clearer explanation of the BUF's ideas than that contained in the standard works on the movement.4 In addition, he provided a useful framework within which to analyze the differing elements in the hierarchy of BUF ideas and policy. Nugent divided the various elements of BUF thought into five sections, namely: the speeches and writings of Mosley, the contributions of the 'inner core' of the BUF's hierarchy, the periodic publications of the movement, the speeches and writings of the lesser leaders of the movement, and, finally, all other pronouncements. It is the first two 'authoritative' categories that Nugent concentrated on in his article. It seems that this five-part categorization of BUF ideas is essentially a correct interpretation of the importance of the various elements of thought within the BUF, bearing in mind that it was a strictly hierarchical movement, based upon the principles of leadership, and led by the charismatic figure of Mosley. However, the further content of the article merely provides a stepping-off point for further discussion.