Oswald Mosley

Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (November 16, 1896 – December 3, 1980) was a British politician principally known as the founder of the British Union of Fascists. He was also the sixth baronet of a title established in 1720.

Fascism

After failure in 1931 Mosley went on a study tour of the 'new movements' of Mussolini and other Fascists, and returned convinced that it was the way forward for him and for Britain. He determined to unite the existing fascist movements and created the British Union of Fascists (BUF) in 1932. The BUF was anti-Communist and protectionist. It claimed membership as high as 50,000, and had the Daily Mail among its earliest supporters. Among his followers were the novelist Henry Williamson and military theorist J.F.C. Fuller.

Related Topics:
1931 - Mussolini - Fascist - British Union of Fascists - 1932 - Protectionist - Daily Mail - Henry Williamson - J.F.C. Fuller

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Mosley had found problems with disruption of New Party meetings and instituted a corps of black uniformed paramilitary stewards who were nicknamed blackshirts. The party was frequently involved in violent confrontations, particularly with Communist and Jewish groups and especially in London. At a large Mosley rally at Olympia on 7 June 1934, mass brawling broke out when hecklers were removed by blackshirts, resulting in bad publicity. This and the Night of the Long Knives in Germany led to the loss of most of the BUF's mass support. The party was unable to fight the 1935 general election. Mosley continued to organise marches policed by the blackshirts, and the government was sufficiently concerned to pass the Public Order Act 1936 which banned political uniforms. In October 1936 Mosley and the BUF attempted to organise a march through an area with a high proportion of Jewish residents, and violence resulted between local and nationally organised protestors trying to block the march and police trying to force it through, since called the Battle of Cable Street. At length Sir Philip Game the Police Commissioner disallowed the march from going ahead and the BUF abandoned it.

Related Topics:
Blackshirts - 7 June - 1934 - Night of the Long Knives - 1935 - Public Order Act 1936 - 1936 - Battle of Cable Street - Philip Game - Police Commissioner

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Cimmie Mosley died of peritonitis in 1933 which left Mosley free to marry his mistress Diana Guinness, née Mitford, (one of the celebrated Mitford sisters). They married in secret in 1936, in the home of Nazi chief Joseph Goebbels; Adolf Hitler was one of the guests. Mosley, who had been spending large amounts of his private fortune on the BUF, wished to establish it on a firm financial footing and was negotiating, through Diana, with Hitler for permission to broadcast commercial radio to Britain from Germany.

Related Topics:
Peritonitis - 1933 - Diana Guinness, ''née'' Mitford - Mitford sisters - 1936 - Nazi - Joseph Goebbels - Adolf Hitler

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In the London County Council elections in 1937 the BUF stood in three of its East London strongholds, polling up to a quarter of the vote. Mosley then made most of the employees redundant, some of whom then defected from the party with William Joyce. As the European situation moved towards war the BUF began nominating Parliamentary candidates and launched campaigns on the theme of 'Mind Britain's Business'. After the outbreak of war, he led the campaign for a negotiated peace. He was at first received well but after the invasion of Norway this gave way to hostility and Mosley was nearly assaulted.

Related Topics:
London County Council - 1937 - William Joyce - Norway

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