British Online Archives

Part of British Online Archives' Politics and Protest series, the resources contained within this collection chart the rise and fall of fascism in Britain during the 1930s and 1940s, with a particular focus on Oswald Mosley’s blackshirt movement.

The bulk of the documents are official BUF publications, including Fascist Week¸ The Blackshirt, The East London Pioneer, and Action. In addition, there are hundreds of government documents relating to Mosley’s internment under Defence Regulation 18B during the Second World War.

The series covered include: CAB 127 (Cabinet Office: Private Collections of Ministers' and Officials' Papers); HO 45 (Home Office: Registered Papers); HO 262 (Ministry of Information: Home Intelligence Division Files); HO 283 (Home Office: Defence Regulation 18B, Advisory Committee Papers); KV 2 (The Security Service: Personal Files); PCOM 9 (Prison Commission and Home Office, Prison Department: Registered Papers: Series 2); and PREM 4 (Prime Minister's Office: Confidential correspondence and papers).

British fascism dispels the myth that this has always been a tolerant and consensual society. The material here will be an invaluable record for all who want to understand Britain's hidden history of political violence.

David Renton, Author of 'Fascism, Anti-Fascism and Britain in the 1940s'

Editorial Board

David Renton Historian David Renton is a British historian, barrister, and author. Renton has written a number of books, including 'Fascism, Anti-Fascism and the 1940s' and 'Fascism: Theory and Practice'.

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Insights

The British Union of Fascists was a political party founded in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley. The party was initially heavily influenced by Italian fascism, but as the 1930s progressed, became more and more infatuated with the anti-Semitic policies of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.

Many of the newspapers in this collection adopt an overtly propagandist style, with different publications targeting specific groups. 'The Blackshirt', for instance, is aimed at party members, while 'Action' is concerned with sympathisers and potential recruits.

The personal and professional papers of notable BUF members, including those of William Joyce, better known as Lord Haw Haw, are also of interest. Many of these individuals were interned during the war, so much of the enclosed correspondence deals with their life under house arrest or in prison.

The imprisonment of the BUF's leader, Oswald Mosley, is also covered in detail. The Home Office records include both the government's justifications for why he was held and the notes taken at his internment hearing.

MI5 also took a keen interest in Mosley and his acolytes, keeping them under surveillance throughout the 1930, 40s, and 50s.

The sheer volume and quality of material provides students and academics with unique insights into British fascism from both sides of the political divide, allowing them to place events such as the Olympia rally, the Battle of Cable Street, and the Daily Mail's infamous 'Hurrah for the Blackshirts!' headline into a broader historical context.