An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

373. Oswald Mosley: Fascist Leader

September 27, 2023

Description

The fascists in Britain have found a leader known across the country: the sinister yet complex Oswald Mosley. Following stints as an MP for both the Tories and Labour, Mosley, a veteran of the...
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Books Referenced

The Code of the Woosters

Author: P.G. Wodehouse

Context:

The hosts quote from this 1938 book at the opening, discussing the character Sir Roderick Spode as a satirical portrait of Sir Oswald Mosley and his black shirts movement.

Hurrah for the Black Shirts

Author: Martin Pugh

Context:

Explicitly mentioned as a book Martin Pugh wrote about British fascism. The hosts reference it multiple times, including quotes about Lord Rothermere being 'the most influential single propagandist for fascism between the wars.'

Revolution by Reason

Author: John Strachey

Context:

Described as a book Mosley 'had written or co-authored' with John Strachey in 1925, an economic book that Skidelsky says 'anticipates what John Maynard Keynes is going to say.'

The Lord of the Rings

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Context:

Mentioned in passing when discussing the sense of brotherhood from the trenches, comparing it to 'Frodo and Sam' in Tolkien's work.