This book examines the domestic evolution and international connections of post-war fascists in the United Kingdom. It argues that post-war British fascism became transnational as the radicals increasingly exchanged ideas, money and culture with like-minded foreigners. Drawing from interviews with key figures in several countries, it traces the history of the National Front and British National Party by focusing on the political parties’ youth, music and international outreach. It explores how post-war British fascism grew into an international movement, how fascist youth developed skinhead music as a conduit for their ideas, and how some of those same key figures made international connections with people in countries, such as Iraq, Libya, Syria and the United States. Moreover, it also draws from rare internal party documents, law enforcement records and membership lists to track foreign funding and the parties’ domestic electoral growth. For the first time, this book gained access toboth the leadership and rank-and-file of the British National Party and National Front to explore its culture and international connections. In doing so, it shows the successes, failures and changes that have made British fascism a force in the international extremist subculture.

“In a welcome revision to this trend, Ryan Shaffer’s Music, Youth and International Links in Post-War British Fascism offers detailed examination of a milieu that, though on the margins of British politics and society, has helped to shape racist cultures in the second half of the twentieth century, and continues to campaign for extremist ideals in the twenty-first… Shaffer has made an important contribution to the study of British fascism. His empirical approach provides an invaluable, and very readable, guide to the many, tiny groups and splinter groups, as well as the variegated ideological trends, that have fostered this complex, marginalized movement from the 1960s to the present day.” (Paul Jackson, History no. 104, no. 360 (April 2019))
“Ryan Shaffer has produced an invaluable work that traces the cultural evolution of post-war fascism. The book will be essential reading for all scholars of the far-right, youth culture and post-war politics.“ (Matthew Worley, University of Reading, UK)

“In these pages are the leaders and the punters, the music and white power bands that are the children of Ian Stuart Donaldson and Skrewdriver, and many, many more. Ryan Shaffer does an especially meticulous job of documenting the international linkages that the National Socialist movement forged and the skinhead movement nurtured.” (Jeffrey Kaplan, Jilin University, China)

“In this content-rich book, Ryan Shaffer puts questions to the movers and shakers on Britain’s far right. The result is a challenging and perceptive insight into how Britain’s post-war fascists exploited music and youth to take their messages of hate to the world.” (Nigel Copsey, Teesside University, UK)

“Based on extensive scholarship Shaffer’s book provides fresh insight into the important impact that youth culture and music had in fostering the evolution of the extreme right in post-war Britain, both nationally and transnationally.” (Graham Macklin, Teesside University, UK)

Traces the evolution of post-war fascism in the UK into an international movement Utilises a range of interviews with key figures within the movement Examines how music became a conduit for the fascist movement Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras