FASCISM, ANTI-FASCISM AND BRITAIN IN THE 1940S

FASCISM, ANTI-FASCISM AND BRITAIN IN THE 1940S

Also by Dave Renton RED SHIRTS AND BLACK: Fascists and Anti-Fascists in Oxford in the 1930s FASCISM: Theory and Practice

Fascism, Anti-Fascism and Britain in the 1940s Dave Renton Lecturer Department of History Edge Hill College of Higher Education

First published in Great Britain 2000 by MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 978-1-349-41410-9 ISBN 978-1-4039-1971-7 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-4039-1971-7 First published in the United States of America 2000 by ST. MARTIN S PRESS, INC., Scholarly and Reference Division, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Renton, Dave, 1972 Fascism, anti-fascism and Britain in the 1940s / Dave Renton. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Great Britain Politics and government 1936 1945. 2. Anti -fascist movements Great Britain History 20th century. 3. Great Britain Politics and government 1945 1964. 4. Fascism Great Britain History 20th century. 5. British Union of Fascists History. I. Title. DA586.R46 1999 941.085 DC21 99 15878 CIP Dave Renton 2000 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2000 978-0-333-76085-7 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00

Contents List of Tables Preface and Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction 1 1 What Actually Happened: Fascism and Anti-Fascism, 1918 51 11 2 The Heil Hitler Brigade: Fascism, 1945 51 42 3 Not Just Commandos: Anti-Fascism, 1945 51 71 4 An Unbiased Watch? Fascism, Anti-Fascism and the State 101 Conclusion 130 Abbreviations in the Notes and Bibliography 145 Notes 146 Bibliography 187 Index 199 vi vii ix v

List of Tables 1.1 Sample of Letters Received by Reynolds News 29 2.1 Occupations of Fascists Detained in 1940 69 3.1 Orders Banning Marches in London 76 4.1 Assaults on Jews, October 1948 October 1949 102 4.2 Arrests, April 1946 December 1947 110 4.3 Organisations from whose Meetings Cases Ensued, April 1946 December 1947 111 4.4 Outcome of Meetings at Ridley Road, April October 1947 113 4.5 Prosecutions under Section 14 of 1839 Metropolitan Police Act 118 vi

Preface and Acknowledgements The purpose of this book is to explain the spectacular rise and fall of fascism, which took place in Britain between the years 1945 and 1951. At the start of the period fascism was utterly isolated, the preserve of a few demoralised cranks. Yet within three years a large, confident and popular fascist movement had been established, with a strong network of local organisers and public speakers. By the autumn and winter of 1947 48, the fascist movement had behind it the support of several thousands, and was capable of sustaining large public meetings at many public-speaking sites across London. However, within a year, the fascists had collapsed, and were again no more than a collection of sects. The ascent and decline of immediate postwar fascism seemed sudden and inexplicable to contemporaries, and needs to be explained. I would like to thank the many individuals and institutions that have helped in the preparation and completion of this study. It first began life as a research project, funded by Sheffield University, which was kind enough to give me a grant for three years. A debt is also owed to my two supervisors, Colin Holmes and Richard Thurlow. Other historians who generously offered their advice include Chimen Abramsky, David Baker, Royden Harrison, Jason Hepple, Sean Kelly, Peter Pugh and John Saville. Eighteen anti-fascists from different traditions agreed to be interviewed, and their answers provide the substance of my fourth chapter. Different chapters first appeared as papers, given to conferences of socialist historians. I would like to thank Pete Alexander, Colin Barker, Weyman Bennett, Ian Birchall, John Charlton, James Eaden, Keith Flett, Donny Gluckstein, Duncan Hallas, Nick Howard, Carlo Morelli, Jeff Parker, Andy Strouthos and Julie Waterson, for helping me with various drafts. Tina Hogg allowed me to consult her own research into Jewish communism. I am grateful to Steve Silver of the magazine Searchlight, and to Bill Ronksley of Sheffield Trades Union Council, for advice and encouragement. I would also like to thank the editors of Changing English and Lobster, for their permission to use material which first appeared in their journals. vii

viii Preface and Acknowledgements It is a pleasure to acknowledge the assistance of the archivists who helped me as I consulted their material, including the staff at the Bodleian Library, Bradford University, the British Library, the British Newspaper Library, Brynmor Jones Library, the Greater London Records Office, the Imperial War Museum, the Jewish Board of Deputies, the Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives, the London Museum of Jewish Life, the London School of Economics, Marx Memorial Library, the Modern Records Centre, the National Museum of Labour History, Nottinghamshire Archives, the Public Record Office, the Rose Lipman Library, Sheffield University Library and the Wiener Library. I would also like to thank those friends and members of my family who provided me with support and encouragement while I buried myself in the archives. In particular I would like to thank Anne Alexander. Without her warm help and detailed advice, this book would have never have been completed.

List of Abbreviations AJEX ANL BAP BEU BF BHL BLEF BPP BUF BVAL CP ENA FBI IFL ILP KKK KPD MPA NCCL NCU NJC NSDAP NWM NWP RCP SLEF SPGB TUC Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen Anti-Nazi League British Action Party British Empire Union British Fascisti British Housewives League British League of European Freedom British People s Party British Union of Fascists British Vigilantes Action League Communist Party of Great Britain English National Association Federation of British Industries Imperial Fascist League Independent Labour Party Ku Klux Klan Communist Party of Germany Medical Policy Association National Council of Civil Liberties National Citizens Union National Jewish Committee National Socialist German Workers Party National Workers Movement National Workers Party Revolutionary Communist Party Scottish League of European Freedom Socialist Party of Great Britain Trades Union Congress ix