How the movement of the Blackshirts was driven by former suffragettes
In short: The British Union of Fascists is often remembered for its violent clashes and Nazi-style antisemitism. Yet, a significant portion of its membership was comprised of women, including prominent figures from the militant suffrage movement who saw in Mosley’s policies a new frontier for female emancipation.
Founded in 1932 by Oswald Mosley, the British Union of Fascists (BUF) emerged from the collapse of his New Party. While the movement is notorious for the 1936 Battle of Cable Street and the violent 1934 Olympia Rally, its composition was surprisingly diverse. The party's paramilitary wing, the Fascist Defence Force, and the iconic 'Blackshirt' uniforms were eventually targeted by the Public Order Act 1936, which banned political uniforms in response to rising instability.
A compelling paradox of the BUF was its appeal to women. Many members were former suffragettes, such as Norah Elam and Mary Richardson, who had previously been imprisoned alongside Emmeline Pankhurst. These women were drawn to the BUF's 'modern' economic promises, including the abolition of the marriage bar—which previously forced women to resign from jobs upon marrying—and the guarantee of equal wages. Mosley even used Elam as a candidate for Northampton to demonstrate that his platform did not intend to force women back into domesticity.
However, the party's trajectory was marked by radicalization and decline. The rise of Nazi-style antisemitism between 1934 and 1935, fueled by sympathisers like William Joyce, led to high-profile resignations and a drop in membership from a peak of 50,000 to below 8,000. By 1939, the total membership had dwindled to 20,000, with only 5,800 active members. The movement's end came swiftly during the Second World War; following the outbreak of war, the British government proscribed the party on 23 May 1940, interning Mosley and hundreds of others under Defence Regulation 18B.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: British Union of Fascists
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