This part will probably come across as random. But when I started writing it sounded interesting. I'm actually somewhat fond of this. Was definitely different. If/when I rewrite this timeline, I will probably work these developments into earlier parts of the story instead of having them separate like this. Enjoy.
PART IX: THE RISE OF
MOSLEY AND THE BUF
In
October 1932, when Sir Oswald Mosley founded the British Union of Fascists,
nobody would have foreseen that within 30 years, the BUF would be one of the
biggest players in British politics. With support coming in from Lord
Rothermere and his Daily Mail
newspaper, the party was able to gain early traction that would eventually give
it the control of Parliament after 1965. Lord Rothermere met with Mosley many
times in 1932 and ’33, before giving his official support in at August 1, 1933
editorial section of the Mirror. By
1934, there were offices of the BUF in London, Portsmouth, Oxford, York,
Liverpool, and Edinburgh. When the 1935 general elections came around, the BUF
won 10 seats in the House of Commons, with Mosley and 9 others becoming known
as the Fascist 10 for years.
By
the time the Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain called for the 1939 General
Election, the BUF claimed nearly 400,000 members nationwide, and had helped
sponsor fascist parties in Canada and Australia. The BUF contingent in that year’s
election rose to 50 seats.
-Hayes, Dr. Thomas. Rise
of Fascism in Britain. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001.
BUF GAINS IN ELECTION
LONDON, JUNE 20- In somewhat of a surprise turn of events,
the British Union of Fascists have gained 40 more seats in the House of
Commons, now placing them with 50 total seats. BUF Leader Sir Oswald Mosley
claimed that these election results were encouraging, and that he looked
forward to greater success in the future.
Many
politicians are eyeing Mosley and his Blackshirts very warily, almost
fearfully. Mosley, who models his political ideology from Italian dictator
Benito Mussolini, is against parliamentary government, and dislikes being
dependent on foreign imports of any kind, instead wanting the Empire to be self-sufficient.
Political
analysts believe that the move to restore the German monarchy that is currently
underway and underlying fears that Germany may soon be a threat once more to
the British Empire. While those in Neville Chamberlain’s government are tentatively
optimistic about the return of the Hohenzollerns to the German throne, Mosley
and other Fascists have decried the soon restoration, along with the New
Versailles Treaty, as a threat to British sovereignty and to the dignity of the
soldiers who fought during the Great War.
-“BUF Gains in Election,” The Times (London)June 21, 1939.
MOSLEY LEADS ANTI-GERMANY RALLY
LONDON, DEC 1- Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British
Union of Fascists and member of Parliament, led a rally today in protest of the
crowning of Kaiser Louis Ferdinand in Germany. With red, white, and blue
lighting blot clad BUF flags fluttering in the wind, Mosley and hundreds of
supporters marched to the German Embassy, which now flies the old Imperial flag
that hasn’t seen the light of day since 1918, where Mosley told those who
gathered that “the restoration of the Germany monarchy is a slap in the face to
every soldier who fought in the War!” and that “our government should have
never supported Hugo Eckener’s plans to rewrite the Versailles Treaty. Now we
will pay. You mark my words, we WILL pay!”
-“Mosley Leads Anti-German Rally,” The Daily Mail, December 2, 1939.
The
1940s were comparatively quite for Mosley and the BUF. They joined the
Conservative party in opposition to the ruling Labour Party government, and
continued to grow in membership. During the 1945 general elections, the party
boasted 700,000 members nationwide, and went up to 72 members in Parliament.
Mosley continued to trumpet against Germany’s expanding power and against being
reliant on non-empire imports.
When
the London Treaty was signed in 1952, Mosley led nearly 2,000 BUF protestors on
a march from Buckingham Palace to parliament, saying that the “end of Empire
will be the end of Britain.” All throughout the 1950s, Mosley led protest after
protest against the new Commonwealth and the economic restructuring that was
occurring under the Labour government. The 1955 election, with the BUF’s
“Restoring Empire” campaign slogan, saw considerable gains for the Fascists,
making them the third largest party in Parliament, with 22% of membership,
behind the Conservatives 26% and the Labour’s 5%.
In
1960, the Fascists became the kingmakers following the October general
elections. The Conservatives had 37% of the membership, the Labour’s had 29%,
and the BUF had 33%. In the end, Mosley made a deal with the Conservatives, and
for the first time the Fascists were in the government, with Mosley becoming
Chancellor of the Exchequer.
However,
there was great tension between the Conservatives and the Fascists, especially
dealing with the Commonwealth and with relations with Germany, which Mosley
still contended was a threat to the United Kingdom. Mosley did get an important
tariff passed on all “non-empire” goods in 1963 that was supposed to both
strengthen economic ties with other Commonwealth states and break British
dependence on American and German goods.
By
the 1965 elections, the Conservatives were ready to not have to work with the
Fascists in government. However, the Fascist’s popularity had been on the rise,
and the Conservative and Labour Parties both underestimated this when they ran
their campaigns. In the end, the Fascists received and landmark 53% of the
seats of Parliament, beating both the Conservatives and the Labour parties. On
September 1, 1965, the 69-year-old Oswald Mosley became Prime Minister of the
United Kingdom.
BLACKSHIRTS TAKE THE HELM!
LONDON, SEP 1- Sir Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists
have taken power in London today, as the Leader of the BUF was officially
accepted By Queen Elizabeth II as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Proud Fascists have taken to the streets in spontaneous parades, dressed in
their black uniforms and waving BUF lightning bold banners throughout London.
The
new Prime Minister had this to say to reporters on his way to meet with the
Queen: “Today marks the first page in a new chapter for the British people and
their Empire. Today we leave behind the past that has been riddled with
mistakes, and march forward
towards a glorious future for our Kingdom.”
All
throughout London, the BUF flag is fluttering high and proud, and it is
believed that there are more lightning banners than Union Jacks currently
fluttering in the wind. The people have shown overwhelming support for the
Fascist party, and Sir Oswald has told reporters that he believes that the
party’s support from the public will only continue to grow.
-“Blackshirts Take the Helm!” The Daily Mail, September 1, 1965.
FACISTS TIGHTEN GRIP IN BRITAIN
LONDON, JAN 13- The London Times and the London Daily Mail
have reported that the British Parliament has passed the “Journalistic
Integrity Act of 1967”, which means to establish the “British Journalistic
Integrity Board” that shall “ensure that all British media produce only the
highest quality work” for the British public. Many members of the Labour Party,
and the Editorial Board of the London Times have cried out against the new act,
and there have reportedly been protests in parts of the city in response to the
law’s passage.
The
new law will also place new restrictions on all foreign press within the United
Kingdom in an effort to “make sure all facts reported internationally are
correct and accurate.” The German and American ambassadors have both decried
this action saying that Prime Minister Mosley is seeking to turn Britain into a
police state. Protestors in Berlin have been rallying outside the British
embassy, calling on the German government to put new tariffs on British goods.
Some more radical protestors are calling on the Kaiser and Chancellor to recall
Germany’s ambassador to Britain, and expel the British ambassador.
-“Fascists Tighten Grip in Britain,” Frankfurter Zeitung, January 14, 1967.
LABOUR TREASON!
LONDON, APR 19- Her Majesty’s Central Security Police have
released a report that several leading Labour Party members have been working
with foreign agents, including former Soviet Russians, since the 1940s. These
members, including the Party leader Harold Wilson and 7 other senior Labour
officials, have been arrested by the CSP.
Prime
Minister Mosley stated in an official press release that, “Thanks to the
diligent and brave work of the Central Security Police, our nation is now a
safer place. We will no longer have these foreign agents infiltrating our
nation’s government. From the report filed by the CSP agents, it appears that
many more Labour members have been receiving aid and assistance from foreigners
in an attempt to undermine our Kingdom. I have requested that the CSP begin
rounding up the more serious offenders, and I am recommending to Parliament
first thing tomorrow that the Labour Party be banned.”
-“Labour Treason!” The
Daily Mail, April 19, 1968.
BRITISH FASCISTS BAN OPPOSITION
LONDON, MAY 1- In a shocking turn of events, the
Fascist-controlled British Parliament voted today to ban the Labour Party,
which has been in opposition to Fascist rule since 1965. The government in
Britain released a report last month that stated that many leading Labour Party
members had been receiving “foreign aid” and had been acting to “undermine the
British State”, some as long ago as the 1940s.
So
far, the government has stated that there have been 46 Labour members arrested
in connection with this scandal, but it is generally believed that there might
be twice that number or more languishing in prison. President Rockefeller has condemned the action as
“undemocratic and unbecoming of the British tradition.” The State Department
has reported that the number of Americans traveling to the United Kingdom is at
about ¼ of the normal amount for this year. There is a general fear in this
country that Britain, a former ally and friend, has taken a wrong turn, and is
turning into a potential enemy of freedom and democracy.
-“British Fascists Ban Opposition,” The Washington Post, May 1, 1968.
After
Labour was banned, everyone could already predict the outcome of the 1969
general elections. The British Union of Fascists received 71% of the seats in
Parliament, the rest going to the Conservatives or to minor independents. The
government was now firmly in Fascist hands. In 1970, the “Parliamentary
Restructuring Act of 1970” was passed, which brought about a drastic reshaping
of parliament that Prime Minister Mosley had been promoting since the 1930s.
The House of Lords was abolished, replaced by the Council of Executives, which
were elected members that oversaw various industries and services throughout
the country. In the House of Commons, the membership was to be reduced to 100
MPs after the next general election.
The
election of December 1974 saw 88 seats of the new House of Commons go to the
BUF. In the Council of Executives, all but one member was a Blackshirt. In
1975, the United Kingdom began shipping arms to the Shah of Iran in exchange
for Oil imports, to help feed Britain and the Commonwealth’s fuel needs. In
1976, British National Petroleum was given exclusive rights to drill for Oil in
Iran, sparking massive protests in that country. Also in that year, the British
Space Agency was created with the mission to “plant the lightning bolt on the
moon by 1985.”
In
1977, the Commonwealth Parliament voted to combine several of the colonies (to
reduce the number of colonial members in the CP), and to enact a universal
tariff on all “non-empire goods”. Of the Five Commonwealth Dominions, Australia
and South Africa were controlled by local Fascist parties, Canada had a large
Fascist Party that was fighting hard for control against the Conservatives, and
India had a quasi-fascist government in control as well. Pakistan remained the
only Dominion that had not supported the Fascists, and in general the
relationship between the rest of the Commonwealth and the Dominion of Pakistan
was quite strained.
--Hayes, Dr. Thomas. Rise
of Fascism in Britain. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2001.
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