During World War Two the Nazis dropped bombs on two of the battlegrounds of working-class Bristolian resistance to Oswald Mosley and his notorious fascist paramilitaries, the ‘Blackshirts’. From the Ropewalk to Melvin Square this project investigates the heroes and villains of inter-war class conflict and reveals the proud history of Bristolian anti-fascism from the very beginnings of the British Union of Fascists (BUF). This project aims to answer some important questions:
Why did significant parts of the police and the establishment support fascism in the 1930s when workers clearly recognised them as the enemy long before the outbreak of war?
Who were the leaders and members of the BUF in Bristol and what were their objectives?
How did the anti-fascists in Bristol organise, what were their tactics and how successful were they?
If you have any information, family history or sources that could help with this project then please contact BRHG at brh@brh.org.uk.
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