Chapter 1: Flashpoint 1936
Of all the labels one could have applied to the British Union of Fascists by the mid 30's, "successful" was not one of them.
Mosley's early success at attracting young conservatives and disaffected labourites had tapered off for a variety of reasons. Chief among them, and something that Mosley realized needed fixing if they were going to get anywhere, was poor public image. Gone were the days when folks would view the Blackshirts as honorable patriots, their hooliganism and lack of discipline increasingly led them to be seen as little more than politicized thugs, with rallies frequently ending in sustained brawls with counter protesters or even innocent bystanders. Not even the Daily Mail was willing to spin things enough to make them seem good.
Another big problem, however, were perceived connections with Germany. The Reich under Hitler had radically altered itself from a budding democracy into a nationalistic dicatorship that people had a hard time classifying, and while many in Britain could ignore Germany's new racial laws and syncretic economics, it could not disregard Germany's increasingly hawkish rhetoric. Common sentiment in Germany at the time was that they were "backstabbed" at the end of the First World War by the Jews, thus forced into a humiliating treaty, and as such sought to rectify this situation, even if it meant breaking international restrictions. This all left the average man in Britain increasingly wary of Germany and anything similar to Hitler's policies. Consequently, it was all too easy for the public and the press to start equating Britain's rising Fascist movement with the same nastiness going on in Germany, a comparison not helped by several high ranking members of the BUF openly expressing their support for National Socialism and anti-semitism.
It is not known precisely what sparked Mosley to shake up the BUF, but many modern historians believe the decision followed a series of events that lowered stability in the country. The first of which was the death of King George V in early 1936.
View attachment 528075
While normally, the passing of an elderly monarch wouldn't elicit too much drama, as such a thing was expected, the nature of his heir Edward VIII left the situation a little more precarious. In addition to Edward's streak of stubbornness that led to members of parliament fearing difficulty in cooperating with him, there were also unconfirmed reports that he had a strange obsession with model toy trains, but as the source for these reports come from the same Hitlerites who think that Jews are actually spacemen, this is best taken with a grain of salt. Not helping Edward's legitimacy was an incident during his coronation, which went without incident until an unidentified jokester decided to throw a slippery banana peal right in front of the new king as he regally walked towards his throne. Edward, tragically, did not notice the article of food until he had already stepped upon it, causing him to land on his ass in a most undignified manner. Granted, all of those present who laughed, including Edward's own mother, were subsequently executed by firing squad, but this did little to heal the king's damaged pride or his broken tailbone.
It was rather fortunate for England, and indeed the entire empire, that they would not have to deal with him as king for long, as otherwise it is believed that the institution of the Royal Family would have been seen as a complete joke.
More importantly, however, was the ever-pressing issue of Germany. As mentioned earlier, the Reich's seeming glorification of a "Greater Germany" worried many across the continent, and already in Britain the government had begun taking action in the form of gradual rearmament and encouraging "Imperial Patriotism", which would serve as the beginnings for what would eventually turn into Mosley's infamous project, the Imperial State. The London Naval Treaty was also updated in response to increasing world tension, though it is believed that it ultimately had little effect.
View attachment 528079
On May the 20th, however, the pivotal event occurred. Tired of feeling restricted in his own country, and wanting to test the reactions of the greater powers, Hitler formalized the remilitarization of the Rhineland, an act which was supposedly restricted under the Treaty of Versailles under threat of war.
View attachment 528080
Instead of a war, all the Germans received for their blatant violation was a glorified wag of the finger by France and a resigned shrug from the rest of the world powers. Most of them were content to let Hitler be so long as they weren't dragged into another war, but the British public was a little different. While it was true that they did not want a war either, the already high anti-German sentiments among the majority of the populace became even more inflamed. Many saw this event as definitive proof that the Germans were an aggressive menace, even managing to sway those who had previously been on the fence. In general, political analysts began noticing a worrying trend, as the population increasingly became swayed by extremist ideologies.
The reaction of the British Fascists was at first heavily divided. As mentioned earlier, there were many in the BUF and other organizations that were supporters of the Reich, and who saw the remilitarization as something to be celebrated. Mosley, however, had other ideas. The Rhineland incident sparked a realization inside of him that hostility towards Germany was becoming an almost universal position, and thus to stand with the Nazis was to condemn the BUF as a pariah in the political sphere. Furthermore, he seemed to have the realization that it wasn't just their positions on Germany that were controversial, but also the increased anti-semitism within the party. Purportedly, the future dictator of Britain spent many sleepless nights at his study, formulating a revolutionary new direction for the party and indeed British Fascism as a whole, to captivate the public and sway moderates while also staying true to its corporatist, nationalist, and isolationist roots.
After 5 days and nights, copious amounts of caffeine, unconfirmed quantities of cocaine, and at least one mental breakdown where witnesses reported Mosley chanting "all these squares make a circle" for a good two hours, it was ready. On one clear morning, on the first of June, 1936, the Leader met with a group of high ranking members of the party to discuss a radical new course of action. In his "Reorganization of British Fascist Character", Mosley laid out a number of reforms, some temporary, some permanent, but out of them three managed to be the most drastic and controversial.
1. The BUF was to stop being so overtly anti-semitic
2. No more beating the shit out of people for protesting our rallies
3. Abandon ties with Germany, they're kinda dicks
As one can imagine, this caused quite a stir within the higher ups of the BUF. The retreat from overt anti-semitism incensed William Joyce, who was quick to proclaim Mosley as a "crypto-bolshevik". Not long after, he would split from the party and attempt to found his own political movement, directly tied to German Fascism. John Beckett, another prominent anti-semite and pro-German, also had strong objections, but was talked down from leaving the party outright by Mosley, after he made some token compromises. Interestingly enough, the Reorganization served to unite two people, Neil Francis Hawkins and F.M. Box, who had previously been working against each other within the party, forming competing factions. They both agreed that the Reorganization was necessary to improve the BUF's public image, as well as to attract new members. It is believed by many analysts that without these changes in policy, Hawkins and Box would have probably split the party entirely.
With the status quo of British Fascism changed and the higher ups rattled, it would not be long before Mosley would present this new face of Fascism to the people of Britain, and indeed the world. They would have to make uncomfortable compromises, it was true, and they would also have to restrain themselves in public, even refraining from throwing around racial slurs. But as hard as it was, Mosley knew it was the best chance he had at succeeding. Britain needed to be saved from itself, and he was the only man capable.