Tag Archives: Extremism

Exploring the Nazi Career of Otto Skorzeny, the ‘Devil’s Disciple’

Although studies of Otto Skorzeny, said to be Hitler’s ‘favourite commando’, tended to be limited and were often of highly questionable quality for much of the post-war period, this situation appears to have changed in more recent years. Some qualitatively … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-fascism, Conspiracy theory, European History, Extremism, Fascism, German History, Historiography, History of war, Nazism, Public History, Research, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A model for Trump? The authoritarian nature of Viktor Orban’s ‘illiberal democracy’

If anybody still entertains any doubts about the extremely worrying authoritarian ambitions of former U.S. president Donald Trump, then it is important to consider what he said on the evening of Friday, 8th March, 2024. Holding a meeting and concert … Continue reading

Posted in American history, British history, Conspiracy theory, European History, Extremism, Fascism, Media history, Public History, Research, Russian History, Teaching, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Two Vlads: Putin’s ideological debt to the late ultra-nationalist Zhirinovsky

There has inevitably been much speculation in the last two years about the ideological sources that have possibly influenced President Vladimir Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine and his seeming desire to reconstruct a pre-1989 Soviet Union, or even a mythologized … Continue reading

Posted in European History, Extremism, Fascism, History of war, Research, Russian History, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Notorious in Northampton: The anti-Semitic career of Walter Crick

When historians dig deeply, many towns and cities often have at least some notorious skeletons in their historical cupboards, individuals who represent the darker side of the past, usually people who current-day citizens would rather forget. In March, 1925, a … Continue reading

Posted in British Empire, British history, British politics, Conspiracy theory, European History, Extremism, Fascism, German History, Local History, London history, Nazism, Public History, Research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The dangerous world of Marine Le Pen: a research note

Worrying opinion polls in France in recent months have indicated that Marine Le Pen and her ‘National Rally’ (NR) have become more popular than many of the mainstream French political parties and, indeed, indicate that the NR leader herself has … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-fascism, European History, Extremism, Fascism, French History, Gender History, Media history, Nazism, Public History, Research, Teaching, Uncategorized, Women's history, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Irish Fascists who fought for Franco

During some research on the extent to which General Francisco Franco and his Nationalists received international support from fascists and other rightwing sympathisers during the Spanish Civil War, I took another look at the Irish contribution. This came principally from … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-fascism, European History, Extremism, Fascism, Historiography, History of war, Irish History, Media history, Nazism, Public History, Research, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The other Philby: The far right sympathies of St. John Philby

While there has been tremendous interest in the life and traitorous activities of the notorious spy Kim Philby, not many people are aware that he had a highly controversial father, St. John Philby, whose sympathies lay not with Communism but … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-fascism, Archives, British Empire, British history, British politics, Conspiracy theory, European History, Extremism, Fascism, German History, Historiography, History of war, Middle East, Nazism, Public History, Research, The National Archives, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Exploring the Nazi Career of Otto Skorzeny, the ‘Devil’s Disciple’

Although studies of Otto Skorzeny, said to be Hitler’s ‘favourite commando’, tended to be limited and of questionable quality for much of the post-war period, this appears to have changed in more recent years. Some qualitively better researched material has … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-fascism, European History, Fascism, German History, Historiography, History of war, Nazism, Public History, Research, Uncategorized, World History | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Poet who supported Franco: Exploring the life of Roy Campbell

The study of fascism and the far right often throws up some difficult conundrums for the historian. I have recently undertaken some research on the men and women in Britain who supported the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-fascism, British history, European History, Extremism, Fascism, History of war, Media history, Public History, Research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fascinated by Fascism: How parts of the British media viewed the emergence of Mussolini

One hundred years ago this month, in October, 1922, after a (largely symbolic) ‘March on Rome’, Benito Mussolini was invited by the Italian King, Victor Emmanuel III, to become Premier and to form a coalition cabinet. This set in train … Continue reading

Posted in Anti-fascism, British history, European History, Extremism, Fascism, Media history, Public History, Research, Teaching, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment