Abstract
Oswald Mosley (1896-1980) was the youngest elected Conservative MP. However, he was unsatisfied with British party politics and founded his own party, the New Party.
After his party failed to achieve any electoral success in 1931, Mosley became increasingly influenced by Fascism. Following his visit with Benito Mussolini the next year, he spent the summer of 1932 writing a fascist manifesto, The Greater Britain.
This publication formed the basis of the British Union of Fascists, the only relevant British fascist party. Launched in October 1932, the BUF at one point claimed to have 50,000 members, with the Daily Mail among its early supporters.
However, in 1934, after the famous Olympia meeting, it lost the backing of some prominent supporters. The BUF never stood in general elections, and with the lack of electoral success drew away from mainstream politics and towards extreme anti-Semitism.
However, it was basically unique among all fascist parties as it had an official political programme from the beginning. This talk analysed the role of the British Union of Fascists among the fascist movements in Great Britain and examine its impact on British society between the wars.