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, 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. Front Cover ......Page 1 Short Title ......Page 3 Title Page ......Page 5 Printer's Imprint ......Page 6 CONTENTS ......Page 7 Dedication ......Page 9 Acknowledgements ......Page 11 Glossary of terms and abbreviations ......Page 13 Introduction ......Page 17 1. White Guards and Black Hundreds ......Page 43 Notes ......Page 62 2. Explaining Italian Fascism ......Page 66 Notes ......Page 82 3. The British Left and the rise of Nazism ......Page 87 i) the Independent Labour Party and the Socialist League ......Page 103 ii) British Trotskyism ......Page 105 Notes ......Page 107 4. The Left and Fascism in Britain, 1919-32 ......Page 113 Notes ......Page 135 5. Opposing the British Union of Fascists ......Page 141 Case study: political evolution and anti-fascism: CPGB ......Page 162 Notes ......Page 165 6. Fascism and war ......Page 172 Notes ......Page 200 Conclusion: the Old Left and the 'New Consensus' ......Page 210 Notes ......Page 227 Newspapers and periodicals ......Page 230 Collected works of contemporary authors and published document collections ......Page 231 Contemporary books and pamphlets ......Page 232 Books ......Page 238 Autobiographies and memoirs ......Page 246 Articles and reviews ......Page 247 Index ......Page 254 Rear Cover ......Page 261