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H.G. Wells's 'liberal fascism'
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UNSPECIFIED (2000) H.G. Wells's 'liberal fascism'. JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY HISTORY, 35 (4). pp. 541-558. ISSN 0022-0094.
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Abstract
During the 1930s H.G. Wells's theory of revolutionary praxis centred around a concept of 'liberal fascism' whereby the Wellsian 'liberal' utopia would be achieved by an authoritarian elite. Taking inspiration from the militarized political movements of the 1930s, this marked a development in the Wellsian theory of revolution from the 'open conspiracy' of the 1920s. Although both communist and fascist movements evinced some of the desired qualities of a Wellsian vanguard, it was fascism rather than communism which came closest to Wells's ideal. However, in practice, despite the failure of approaches to parties of the left and centre as possible agents of revolution, Wells rejected the British Union of Fascists. The disparity between Wells's theory and his actions when faced by the reality of fascism echoes the unresolved tension between ends and means at the heart of the concept of 'liberal fascism'.
Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||
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Subjects: | D History General and Old World | ||||
Journal or Publication Title: | JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY HISTORY | ||||
Publisher: | SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD | ||||
ISSN: | 0022-0094 | ||||
Official Date: | October 2000 | ||||
Dates: |
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Volume: | 35 | ||||
Number: | 4 | ||||
Number of Pages: | 18 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 541-558 | ||||
Publication Status: | Published |
Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge
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