AH Challenge:Greater success for the British Union of Fascists

With a POD no earlier than 1932 (the year of its creation) make the BUF under Mosley have much greater success as a political movement. By this I mean they should have significant support from the British public and a significant minority in the House of Commons.

Good luck.
 
With that POD, this is basically ASB. Or at least, you'd have to be insanely creative to think of something plausible.
 
With a PoD of 1920, it is possible.

Red Army wins at Warsaw in 1920 and by the 1921 the Red Army is joining with the German Communist Party in Berlin. War-weary France, Austria, Italy and Hungary fall to native Communist Parties allied with the Red Army. Not even Switzerland escapes the Red Menace. With Europe under the Soviet heel and Britain protected by the Royal Navy Trotsky releases a fury on India, the Middle East and China. All of mainland Eurasia is ruled from the largest Empire the World has every seen. Only the maritime powers of Japan and Britain, hiding on their islands behind their navies, and scattered colonies in now unwanted Africa survive in the Old World. America watches on, content in its isolationism. The Commonwealth remains behind Britain, but things are rough.

As soon as the first workers strike occur in London, the establishment swings to arch-conservative. Trade Unions, the Labour Party and the Socialists are shutdown. The army and navy are expanded and remain on a constant war-footing. Exiles from the Continent bring horror stories of purges, exile and executions; the stripping of industry to be sent off to Russia; the millions of men conscripted in sent to fight in Asia or face execution and the subjugation of Europe to Jew, Asian and Slav commissars. The country looks for strong leaders and finds them in men like Churchill and the young Mosley who eventually rises to Primer. The entire country is turned into an armed camp; the economy is directed towards the Navy and Army, Jews are deported to the continent, the Irish rebellion is savagely destroyed and democracy is suspended. A completely militarized society that would be the envy of Prussia emerges. The tiny islands wait stoically as all the resources of Europe and Asia are funneled to creating a massive fleet to wipe out perfidious Albion and the dogged Japanese before the combined power of the Old World is turned against the New.
 
With a PoD of 1920, it is possible.



As soon as the first workers strike occur in London, the establishment swings to arch-conservative. Trade Unions, the Labour Party and the Socialists are shutdown. The army and navy are expanded and remain on a constant war-footing. Exiles from the Continent bring horror stories of purges, exile and executions; the stripping of industry to be sent off to Russia; the millions of men conscripted in sent to fight in Asia or face execution and the subjugation of Europe to Jew, Asian and Slav commissars.


What makes you think that a Communist Europe would a be under Russian subjugation. I would think that Communist Germany would be at least equal partners in running Europe. The early Russian Communists expected Russia to become a backwater again after the rest fo the world went Communist. The Jew, Asian and Slav commisar claim sounds racist. Why would they have Asian Commisars in Europe? Aren't their enough European Commisars?
 
What makes you think that a Communist Europe would a be under Russian subjugation. I would think that Communist Germany would be at least equal partners in running Europe. The early Russian Communists expected Russia to become a backwater again after the rest fo the world went Communist. The Jew, Asian and Slav commisar claim sounds racist. Why would they have Asian Commisars in Europe? Aren't their enough European Commisars?
I take Asian to mean Tartars, Uzbecks, Kazakhs ect.
 
What makes you think that a Communist Europe would a be under Russian subjugation. I would think that Communist Germany would be at least equal partners in running Europe. The early Russian Communists expected Russia to become a backwater again after the rest fo the world went Communist. The Jew, Asian and Slav commisar claim sounds racist. Why would they have Asian Commisars in Europe? Aren't their enough European Commisars?

The Russian Communists always claimed to be internationalists while never relinquishing real power. As my Soviet History professor used to say, according to Soviet propaganda, "Russians are not better than Kazakhs or Georgians, but as the first people to embrace Communism, they're the older, wiser brothers of other nationalities." Trotsky believed, after the Western Europeans were "liberated," they start a fund to pay for Russia's industrialization. That would probably quickly downgrade into forceful confiscations of factories, as happened in Eastern Germany after WW2. The Russians were not above breaking a couple of eggs to make an omelet as seen during the Russian Civil War.

The Commissar comment is supposed to sound racist. Look at any of the right-of-center writing from the '20s, from people as a esteemed as Churchill, and their is marked amount of antisemitism. Among the more reactionary, such as the Nazi ideologist and Baltic-German Alfred Rosenberg, their was also a good deal of Sinophobia about the "Asiatics" of Russia. This springs from the fact that the Red Army recruited from both the hearty native population of Siberia, long known for their martial skills, and formed several, segergated, units from Russo-Chinese urban-workers. Both of these were used as propaganda for Western Europeans to exemplify the otherness of Communism. The natural order, according to the early 1900s mind, was a world were whites ruled non-whites. Therefore, by definition, a nation were non-Whites (Asians and Jews, according to Conservative propaganda) ruled over Whites (which Slavs were considered) would be unnatural. A climate caused by nearly all of the Western World, with the exceptions of the Americas and Britain, controlled by a hostile Communist power, would lead to a reactionary government in Britain much more severe and immediate then the governments developed by the early fascists.
 
The Russian Communists always claimed to be internationalists while never relinquishing real power. As my Soviet History professor used to say, according to Soviet propaganda, "Russians are not better than Kazakhs or Georgians, but as the first people to embrace Communism, they're the older, wiser brothers of other nationalities." Trotsky believed, after the Western Europeans were "liberated," they start a fund to pay for Russia's industrialization. That would probably quickly downgrade into forceful confiscations of factories, as happened in Eastern Germany after WW2. The Russians were not above breaking a couple of eggs to make an omelet as seen during the Russian Civil War.

If that's so how did Georgians such as Stalin and Beria get into such top positions? Also, the example of East Germany after World War II is not applicable to your own scenario. The Soviets took machinery as reparations to help repair the immense damage done to their country by the Nazi war machine. Other countries such as Poland also recieved reparations. The Soviets after World War II had been modernizing their military and industry for over twenty years. In 1920 the Soviets were still a technological backwater that had been devastated by Civil War. They wouldn't have been able to conquer Europe without the help of Western European Communists and then the more advanced Western Europeans especially the Germans would have likely dominate the Russians.
 
Ok, here goes.

In 1930, Mosley defects from Labour and founds the New Party. Amongst those who leave Labour and join the party are Nye Bevan(Which almost happened in otl) and Harold Macmillan.

The platform of the New Party develops into a policy of Britain first, Empire second( which is an otl buf slogan, but they shys away from the otl part of the slogan foreigners nowhere.) The New Party claims that Britain is on the decline and that a radical solution is required. They argue for the creation of the corporate state along lines similar to Italy, but it is stressed that Britain would remain a democratic state.

The party gains the support of the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror and other papers who see the party as a bulwork against socialism. They stay away from the blackshirt tradition. The Party does not become anti-semitic. From the background of the increased funding, the New Party gains 15 Members of Parliament at the 1931 General Election.

During the period of 1931-35 the Party concentrates on building its profile and support amongst both the Tory working class, who they argue their policies will help secure them more influence without socialism, and the middle class, stroking up fears of the red terror. They openly critisise the excesses of the Nazi regime in Germany.

In 1933 they rename themselves the British Union of Fascists. In 1934, a uniform is developed for members which is similar to the uniform of the British Army.

In 1935, there is a Sterling Crash, the General Election is postponed for another year. In the 1936 General Election, the BUF gain 100 MPs in a Parliament dominated by the Conservative-led National Government. Labour finish third, and Mosley becomes the leader of the opposition.

Thats as far as I can go. I cant see Mosley becoming PM.
 
Ok, here goes.

In 1930, Mosley defects from Labour and founds the New Party. Amongst those who leave Labour and join the party are Nye Bevan(Which almost happened in otl) and Harold Macmillan.


The party gains the support of the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror and other papers who see the party as a bulwork against socialism. They stay away from the blackshirt tradition. The Party does not become anti-semitic. From the background of the increased funding, the New Party gains 15 Members of Parliament at the 1931 General Election.

Why rename the party the British Union of Fascists at all? As for Bevan, he was a supporter of socialism and therefore would not be likely to support the new party.
 
As for Bevan, he was a supporter of socialism and therefore would not be likely to support the new party.
Possibly this is what Fletcher is referring to...
Soon after he entered parliament Bevan was briefly attracted to Oswald Mosley's arguments, in the context of Macdonald's government's incompetent handling of rising unemployment. However, in the words of his biographer John Campbell, "he breached with Mosley as soon as Mosley breached with the Labour Party". This is symptomatic of his lifelong commitment to the Labour Party, which was a result of his firm belief that only a Party supported by the British Labour Movement could have a realistic chance of attaining political power for the working class. Thus, for Bevan, joining Mosley's New Party was not an option. Bevan is said to have predicted that Mosley would end up as a Fascist.
So maybe not. It depends on whether in ATL Bevan decides to make as clean break, and follow Moseley to form a "new Labour" party... :)D)
 
Possibly this is what Fletcher is referring to...
Soon after he entered parliament Bevan was briefly attracted to Oswald Mosley's arguments, in the context of Macdonald's government's incompetent handling of rising unemployment. However, in the words of his biographer John Campbell, "he breached with Mosley as soon as Mosley breached with the Labour Party". This is symptomatic of his lifelong commitment to the Labour Party, which was a result of his firm belief that only a Party supported by the British Labour Movement could have a realistic chance of attaining political power for the working class. Thus, for Bevan, joining Mosley's New Party was not an option. Bevan is said to have predicted that Mosley would end up as a Fascist.
So maybe not. It depends on whether in ATL Bevan decides to make as clean break, and follow Moseley to form a "new Labour" party... :)D)

I was reffering to the book Blackshirt by Steven Dorril which I have read recently after getting out of my local library, which I found after searching for the book, Hurrah for the Blackshirts!(try asking the librarian for that book and check the reaction...). Bevan came close to leaving Labour for the New Party, but backed out.

The reason I was looking was for the books was an idea I had for a TL which I have now discarded as not workable with a pod in the twenties, which would see a third frce emerge in the thirties. The only reason I changed the party name was to fit in with the challenge.
 
I was reffering to the book Blackshirt by Steven Dorril which I have read recently after getting out of my local library, which I found after searching for the book, Hurrah for the Blackshirts!(try asking the librarian for that book and check the reaction...).
Well, it is a classic Daily Mail headline... :(

Bevan came close to leaving Labour for the New Party, but backed out.

The reason I was looking was for the books was an idea I had for a TL which I have now discarded as not workable with a pod in the twenties, which would see a third force emerge in the thirties. The only reason I changed the party name was to fit in with the challenge.
OK, makes sense... I too had heard he was thinking of leaving, but I thought that was just in a very vague way - not enough that he was actually close, but then changed his mind again. OK
 
Well, it is a classic Daily Mail headline... :(
Not that much changes! :p

Really though, it was embarrasing. Her reaction made me feel like I was lending a dirty mag.
alt_historian said:
OK, makes sense... I too had heard he was thinking of leaving, but I thought that was just in a very vague way - not enough that he was actually close, but then changed his mind again. OK
From what I remember, there were talks but nought came of it, as to how close he came I cannot recall. I think I'll have to go back to the library with my mac and dark glasses and get the book back out. Will get you a quote soon......
 
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Churchill

Banned
Hitler killed in world war 1.
No association of the BUF with Nazi Germany (as it did not exist) so the BUF would remain popular after into the late 1930's.
No anti-semtism in the BUF would make it more popular too.
I would expect a major campiagn in the 1935 election with several MP's elected.
The next election in 1939/40 I would expect the BUF to gain around 100 seats with the Conservatives needing them to form a government.
 
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