The National Government, the British Union of Fascists and the Olympia debate

Abstract

This article reasserts the ‘revisionist’ view of responses to fascist violence at Olympia in 1934. It suggests that, as more collections of private papers become available, the close relations between Conservative politicians and fascist organizations have become increasingly clear. It argues that the relaxed attitude towards fascist methods is understandable in the context of long-term reliance on fascist stewarding by Tory politicians, and that there was as much continuity as change in British views on violence in politics after 1918. The article further suggests that any claim that Mosley changed his methods at indoor meetings after Olympia flies in the face of the evidence. Finally, it refers to the home office papers to show why the politicians failed to intervene against the fascists for a long period after Olympia, and underlines the electoral dangers for the National Government posed by any precipitate intervention after Olympia.