Exploring Pro-Nazi Sentiment in 1930s Britain

Defense analyst Young explores the pro-Nazi sentiments of “an influential segment of [Britain’s] elite” in this thin yet intriguing history. Many in the British upper classes, reeling from WWI, the diminishment of the British Empire, and the threat of Communism, found a means “to preserve their way of life” in fascism and Nazism, according to Young. Though she documents the rise of the British Union of Fascists and the Right Club, among other organizations, Young focuses mainly on Unity Mitford, one of the aristocratic Mitford sisters and “a rabid Nazi” who sought the attentions of Adolf Hitler. After enrolling in German classes and staking out one of his favorite restaurants in Munich, Mitford eventually met with Hitler more than 160 times, and may have given birth to his son. As war between their countries became more likely, the relationship ended, resulting in Mitford’s reported suicide attempt (she claimed to have been shot by an unknown assailant).