The Postwar British Extreme Right and Empire, 1945–1967

Abstract

AbstractThis article examines the relationship between the extreme right and the British Empire during the postwar era. It will first provide a brief review of existing scholarship on the postwar extreme right. It will then go on to argue that scholars have neglected a crucial aspect of the extreme right in postwar Britain – its relationship with imperialism and more specifically, decolonisation – before offering a short overview of extreme right attitudes to Empire during the period in question. The two organisations which will be analysed are Sir Oswald Mosley's Union Movement and the League of Empire Loyalists, led by A.K. Chesterton. The Union Movement sought to break with Britain's imperial past whilst simultaneously promoting a new imperial vision which wanted to see European colonial powers pool their imperial resources in order to match Soviet and US power. The League of Empire Loyalists however sought to promote the conservative tradition of revering the British Empire during its final days and wanted Britain to re‐assert control over their imperial possessions. Crucial to both organisations' imperial visions was conspiracy theory, namely, the idea of a global Jewish conspiracy which was seeking to undermine the British Empire. The article will conclude by demonstrating that there is ample opportunity for future study into the relationship between the postwar extreme right and Empire.