Abstract
The British Union of Fascists was able to walk the line of acceptability in British society until their turn to overtly anti-Semitic policies in late 1935. Previous scholarship on British fascism has focused on the public reaction to the BUF but has neglected to discuss the circumstances of the BUF’s acceptability and the factors that influenced their acceptability and later unacceptability. This IS heavily relies on primary sources for evidence of the BUF’s relationship with British society, including the prestigious Times of London and the BUF’s own newspapers. A thoughtful analysis of the role of the British Union of Fascists in British society allows for a more nuanced understanding of acceptable and unacceptable ideas and institutions in Britain’s interwar period. The line of acceptability for ideas and institutions can be an important tool for understanding the history of ideas and institutions because it can be applied to any ideology, political group, social movement, etc., in this period.
Advisor
Welsch, Christina
Department
History
Recommended Citation
Bailey, Malachi, "The Politics of Acceptability: The British Union of Fascists and British Society" (2018). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 8126.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/8126
Publication Date
2018
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2018 Malachi Bailey