An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

374. The Battle of Cable Street: Fascism Defeated

October 01, 2023

Description

“You will never catch Sir Oswald admitting to anti-semitism - all he does is embody it!” Following the violent scenes at Kensington Olympia, the British fascist movement is in decline. Britain is...
Read more here

Books Referenced

English Journey

Author: J.B. Priestley

Context:

Mentioned as a book written by J.B. Priestley about 1936-37, discussing the 'three Englands' - the traditional England, the industrial north suffering in the Depression, and the new England of suburban development and prosperity.

Hurrah for the Blackshirts

Author: Martin Pugh

Context:

Explicitly referenced as a book containing a quotation from an Evening Standard report by journalist Dudley Barker about the competition between communists and British Union of Fascists in poor areas of London.

The 39 Steps

Author: John Buchan

Context:

Referenced in discussion of anti-Semitism in British fiction, with a quote from the character Scudder about Jews controlling the world - used as an example of how anti-Semitic sentiments appeared in British fiction of the 1910s-1930s.