Fighting fascism : the British left and the rise of fascism, 1919-39

In the years between the two world wars, fascism triumphed in Italy, Germany, Spain and elsewhere, coming to power after intense struggles with the labour movements of those countries. This book analyses the way in which the British left responded to this new challenge. How did socialists and communists in Britain explain what fascism was? What did they do to oppose it, and how successful were they? In examining the theories and actions of the Labour Party, the TUC, the Communist Party and other, smaller, left-wing groups, the book explains their different approaches, while at the same time highlighting the common thread that ran through all their interpretations of fascism. The author argues that the British left has largely been overlooked in the few specific studies of anti-fascism which exist, with the focus being disproportionately applied to its European counterparts. He also takes issue with recent developments in the study of fascism, and argues that the views of the left, often derided by modern historians, are still relevant today. In the years between the two world wars, fascism triumphed in Italy, Germany, Spain and elsewhere, coming to power after intense struggles with the labour movements of those countries. This book, available in paperback for the first time, analyses the way in which the British left responded to this new challenge. How did socialists and communists in Britain explain what fascism was? What did they do to oppose it, and how successful were they? In examining the theories and actions of the Labour Party, the TUC, the Communist Party and other, smaller left-wing groups, the book explains their different approaches, while at the same time highlighting the common thread that ran through all their interpretations of fascism. The author argues that the British left has been largely overlooked in the few specific studies of anti-fascism that exist, with the focus being disproportionately applied to its European counterparts. He also takes issue with recent developments in the study of fascism, and argues that the views of the left, often derided by modern historians, are still relevant today. In the years between the two world wars, the parties of the left had to confront new and frightening movements which were intent on their complete destruction. Fascism triumphed in Italy, Germany, Spain and elsewhere, coming to power after intense struggles with the labour movements of those countries. Yet in Britain, the left was able to confront the challenge of fascism effectively by understanding the nature of the threat, and by evolving tactics which played a crucial role in preventing British fascist movements from growing and developing as they had elsewhere. This book examines the anal Front matter Contents Dedication Acknowledgements Glossary of terms and abbreviations Introduction White Guards and Black Hundreds: existing concepts of counter-revolution Explaining Italian fascism: from movement to dictatorship, 1919–26 The British left and the rise of Nazism The left and fascism in Britain, 1919–32 Opposing the British Union of Fascists Fascism and war Conclusion: the old left and the ‘new consensus’ Bibliography Index A new work that looks at the struggle against fascism in Britain between the wars, argues that the British left have been overlooked in studies of anti-fascism, and maintains that the Labour Party, the Communist Party and other left-wing currents developed sophisticated analyses of fascism on a par with those of European socialists and communists. -- .