Sir Oswald Mosley: Background

Mosley's social background was one of class privilege. He was born into the English aristocracy and his future seemed mapped out as one of comfort and ease ... until that great cataclysm, the First World War, shattered the hopes of the "war generation", betrayed by the old politicians, the "hard-faced" men, and those that profit by war. He entered Parliament in 1918 as the youngest MP at 22, determined, as an ex-soldier, to build "a land fit for heroes to live in", in the famous words of David Lloyd George. Beginning as a Conservative Coalition Unionist, he was to cross the floor of the House over the issue of the Black and Tans in Ireland (he opposed the Government's use of them) and joined the Labour benches. His talents were quickly recognised by the Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, and Mosley was given responsibility for solving the unemployment problem. He went against the old orthodoxy of the free market (laissez faire economics) and proposed that the Government should take control with a massive injection of money into public works, creating jobs and giving the people the purchasing power to buy the goods they produced. He wanted to take the power away from the financier and give it to the British worker. This policy entailed a control over the banks and government controlling credit. Mosley's immediate superior was J.H.Thomas who disliked radical ideas and so Mosley presented his ideas to MacDonald. To the leaders of the Labour Party, these proposals were too "socialistic" and Mosley was to resign on May 20, 1930 and from there he took his fight to the people. Four Labour MPs joined Mosley in his New Party, formed as an alternative to the "Old Gang" but it fared badly in the General Election of 1931. A visit to Fascist Italy soon after convinced Mosley that fascism could work here in Britain and on October 1, 1932, thirty two members formed the British Union of Fascists. _____________________________________________________

Mosley [left] with Ramsay MacDonald

Mosley with the boxer Ted 'Kid' Lewis in New Party days