British Legion meet Hitler.

[anotheoldgit]

http://tinyurl.com/333e356

Another interesting story courtesy of the 'FASCIST' Daily Mail.

If the Daily Mail was a 'fascist rag' as some have called it, would they have printed this story, which is more befitting The Guardian.

[jackthehat]

Of course they would.
It's anti-British Legionist, which is right up the Daily Wail's street.......

[lumination]

maybe the daily mail knows it was a really good story so wanted to print it before anyone else?

[Gromit]

The Mail are pragmatists. They supported the fascists but when war broke out, they were anti fascist. Same with the Labour Party. They supported Major, but when Blair won, they became Blairites for a while.

It would be interesting to see how the Daily Mail reported this visit in 1935 compared to the present piece. In 1935 they were pro the Fascists, as were many establishment organisations

[gingejbee]

Was it the DM's usual mix of hearsay, rumour, conjecture and guesswork or was it fact? Don't tell me....I'll guess.

[lumination]

sorry to be unintelligent here, whats 'fascist'?
:)

[Gromit]

Not really a Daily Mail report though is it, just a free advertisement for a programme on the Discovery Channel.

// Wartime Secrets With Harry Harris starts next Sunday at 10pm on the Discovery History channel. //

PS, I wonder if the Daily Mail know that the Discovery Channel is part owned by the BBC?

[Zeuhl]

Yes

Why would The Mail want to print a story that showed that the German Nazis were shown respect by highly admired British institutions?

It's almost like a step towards 'normalising' perceptions of the Nazis: 'they couldnt have been that bad, the British Legion visited them'

But it couldn't be that sinister could it? Especially at a time when (no disrespect to Lumination) we have ABers asking 'What's Fascist?'

Still, it seems the Legion were in good company - Britain's almost 'Quisling King'

<<And in early 1935, the Legion's patron, the Prince of Wales – who was crowned King Edward VIII the following year – gave a speech to the Legion's annual conference in which he supported the trip.>>

Thank Heavens for Wallace Simpson - otherwise we might all be speaking German by now.
.

[Kromovaracun]

In 1935 it was by no means abundantly clear that the Nazi regime was bent on war (in fact Hitler's foreign policy goals at this time weren't entirely unreasonable). The shock and horror attached to this revelation is entirely motivated by hindsight.

[Zeuhl]

Lumination

That's a big question with an even bigger answer. Mussolini's party in Italy founded the name 'fascist' and were an inspiration for Hitler.

Check out Wikipaedia - here's a taster :-)

<<One common definition of fascism focuses on three groups of ideas:

a) Fascist Negations

1. Anti-liberalism
2. Anti-communism
3. Anti-conservatism

b) Ideology and goals

1. Creating a new nationalist, authoritarian state not based on tradition
2. A new kind of regulated, multi-class national economic structure which can transform social relations, whether syndicalist, corporatist or national socialist
3. The goal of empire
4. An idealist, voluntarist creed, typically to realize a new modern, self-determined secular culture

c) Style and organization

1. Aesthetic structure of meetings, symbols stressing romantic and mystical aspects
2. Mass mobilization with militarization of political relationships and style and the goal of a mass party militia
3. Positive view and use of violence
4. Extreme stress on the masculine principle
5. Exaltation of youth
6. Authoritarian, charismatic personal style of command >>>
.

[lumination]

thanks Zeuhl, and i take no offence to it so no worries.

and thank you for then educating me! im only 19 lol.
plus better to ask then to just ignore the subject right?

[Davethedog]

It is worth noting that Hitlers biggest media i.e newspaper supporter in this country was the Daily Mail, they continued to support him right up until the outbreak of war.

[Zeuhl]

Kroma

In 1935, weren't they already rearming contrary to the terms of the Versailles Armistice?
.

[Zeuhl]

Lumination

Stay curious for your whole life

You're correct - asking questions and paying attention to the answer is the key
.

[Kromovaracun]

"In 1935, weren't they already rearming contrary to the terms of the Versailles Armistice? "

Yes. But I don't think they actually reached the point exceeding it until the next year (speaking in terms of military power/no. of divisons anyway - I don't know what the air situation was like)

And anyway, by that point pretty much everybody could see how unreasonable the Versailles settlement was. Hitler's aim of breaking out of it was by no means without sympathy among British statesmen who weren't particularly bothered about going into enforcing a settlement they didn't much care for in the first place (and IMO understandably so).

[Kromovaracun]

"and thank you for then educating me! im only 19 lol.
plus better to ask then to just ignore the subject right? "

You really shouldn't feel bad about asking - there's whole books and swathes of academia debating exactly what fascism is, so the question's far from settled!

[Zeuhl]

Fair point Kromo

Were the 'extreme' views of the Fascists and Nazis recognised (Mein Kampf had been widely read) or was that just put down to eccentric foreigners?
.

[Gromit]

I wonder if some clever AB reader will help me identify this portly Gentleman with Herr Hitler.

http://www.spartacus....t.co.uk/BUrother2.jpg

I believe the photograph was taken about the same time as those British Legion fellows were brown-nosing the Fuhrer. If you have any information on him, his peerage, which national newspaper he own etc, I would be grateful for the info.

Thanks in anticipation,

Gromit

[Kromovaracun]

I imagine Everton will pop up at some point or another to give his two pennies on that question, but here's mine:

Mein Kampf might have been widely read, but have you ever taken a look at that thing? It's essentially a thousand-page appalingly-written and badly-edited rant. Hitler was a nakedly populist politician, and I think statesmen tended to try and base their stances on what the other side's actual policies seemed to be (and assumed they'd be doing the same). In 1935, none of Hitler's actual foreign policies seemed particularly unreasonable. Plus I'm willing to bet it's not a coincidence that this visit occured around the time the Anglo-German naval agreement had been signed (I think... it might have been a different time in the year, I can't remember for sure).

[anotheoldgit]

/// Thank Heavens for Wallace Simpson - otherwise we might all be speaking German by now.///

No, if it had been left to some on this site, along with their attitudes, we would have DEFINITELY been speaking German by now.