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- Title
A Call to Action: New Party Candidates and the 1931 General Election.
- Authors
WORLEY, MATTHEW
- Abstract
Sir Oswald Mosley established his New Party in early 1931. It proposed to cut across the party and class divides, with the objective of providing a 'national' solution to the economic crisis of the time. According to Mosley, the 'old parties' - meaning the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Parties - had revealed themselves unable to adapt to the post-war age. In their place, he argued, a modern organisation, based on youth, vitality and a scientifically reasoned economic plan, was needed to save Britain from terminal decline. Few heeded his call, and the party ultimately paved the way for the British Union of Fascists to emerge in 1932. Nevertheless, the New Party fought the general election of 1931, offering an unsuccessful but suitably intriguing challenge to the National coalition and Labour Party. This article will assess the New Party's election campaign, concentrating on those who briefly rallied to Mosley's appeal only to fall foul of the ballot box. In other words, it provides a case study of those who contributed to a dramatic electoral failure, and traces a significant stage along Mosley's journey to fascism.
- Subjects
UNITED Kingdom; MOSLEY, Oswald, 1896-1980; FASCISM; LABOR unions &; fascism; GREAT Britain. Parliament elections; ELECTIONS; POLITICAL parties; BRITISH politics &; government, 1910-1936
- Publication
Parliamentary History, 2008, Vol 27, Issue 2, p236
- ISSN
0264-2824
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1750-0206.2008.00038.x