British Union of Fascists

The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a political party of the 1930s in the United Kingdom. The party was formed in 1932 by Oswald Mosley, and was a union comprised of several small, extreme-nationalist parties.

Its leader, Oswald Mosley, modelled himself on other fascist leaders such as Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. He also modeled his party on the lines of fascist movements in other countries, primarily Italy.

He instituted a black uniform, gaining the party the nickname, "blackshirts." The BUF was initially anti-Communist, protectionist, and supported strong state intervention in the economy, and the replacing of democracy with a "strong government". the party claimed a membership as high as 50,000, and the Daily Mail was an early supporter, famously running the headline "Hurrah for the Blackshirts!".

The BUF's parades of uniformed followers in nazi-style black shirts, although many claim that this won the party widespread derision rather than support.

Despite the best efforts of the BUF, Fascism in Britain failed to take root, or become a significant political force, as it had in many continental European countries during the 1930s. The BUF failed to win a single seat in parliament. It has been suggested that the ceasation of funding from Mussolini was a significant factor halting the BUF's growth during the mid-'30s.

Towards the middle of the 1930s, the BUF's increasingly thuggish and anti-semitic image, isolated middle-class supporters who deserted the party in droves. At a rally in London, in 1934, fascist stewards physically surpressed communist hecklers with considerable force, and this bad publicity caused the Daily Mail to withdraw support from the party.

With it's lack of electoral sucess, the party became more violent and strongly anti-Semitic in 1934-35, devolving into what some decribe as little more than a bunch of thugs.

Their main activitiy was instigating anti-Semitic violence and riots in London (such as the famous Battle of Cable Street in October, 1936). Membership was below 8,000 by the end of 1935. The government was sufficiently concerned to pass the Public Order Act of 1936, which banned the wearing of political uniforms during marches, and required police consent for political marches to go ahead, effectively destroyed the movement. The BUF was completely banned in May 1940, and Mosley and 740 other senior fascists were interned for much of World War II.

Mosley made several unsuccesful attempts at a political comeback after the war.