Modernism, Empire and War, 1919-1940

This book is a new assessment of the ideology and political program of Britain’s fascist and extreme right-wing community during the interwar period (1919–1940). It examines this group’s belief system as it clustered around three major preoccupations – Modernization, Empire, and War – and in so doing, identifies many inconsistencies, contradictions, and moral failings.

This book is a new assessment of the ideology and political program of Britain’s fascist and extreme right-wing community during the interwar period (1919–1940). It examines this group’s belief system as it clustered around three major preoccupations – Modernization, Empire, and War. In doing so, the book identifies many inconsistencies, contradictions, and moral failings, which contributed to the failure of the far-right tendency in the interwar years. The numerous beliefs and policies examined all point to a movement that was determined to return Britain to the levels of global power and international leadership it had once enjoyed – but by means of policies of disengagement and isolation. As such, it provides insight into the resurgence of the extreme right today.