Political Soldier
Political Soldier is a political concept associated with the Third Position. It played a leading role in Britain's National Front from the late 1970s onwards under young radicals Nick Griffin, Patrick Harrington and Derek Holland of the Official National Front. The term was used to indicate an almost fanatical devotion to the cause of nationalism, which its supporters felt was needed to bring about a revolutionary change in society.
A faction within the National Front called for the building of a fresh ethos within society and for the emergence of a new man, to be known as the Political Soldier, who would reject materialism and devote himself to the nationalist struggle with religious zeal. Basing their ideas on those of Julius Evola, an Italian philosopher who sought the creation of a new elite to combat the decadence of modern bourgeois society, Political Soldiers rejected traditional British nationalism in favour of a European outlook and a racialist equality of separate races.
History
The idea of the Political Soldier, someone who devotes all his time and energy to the nationalist struggle, was one that had long existed on the far right in Europe. Jean-François Thiriart was amongst those to argue for this need for complete devotion from activists and had set up camps to train Political Soldiers in the 1960s.
Holland published The Political Soldier - A Statement in 1984.[1] The pamphlet called on supporters to become consumed by their nationalism and to make it the driving force behind everything in their lives. The book offered four historical examples of a Political Soldier, i.e., the Spartans, the Roman Centurion, the Crusaders and the Iron Guard of Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, a Romanian movement of fascism and religion. The book also made the Celtic Cross the emblem of the Political Soldiers.
The concept of the Political Soldier caused divisions within the British far right as many of its ideas were new and alien concepts. The Official National Front was eventually removed from the NF and the calls for a 'new man' were continued by the International Third Position. Within the UK, the magazine Final Conflict is still devoted to this idea. Holland's book has been translated into a number of European languages (notably into Polish for the National Revival of Poland) whilst the term is still used by the National Democratic Party of Germany to describe its followers.[2]
References
Bibliography
- L. Cheles, R. Ferguson, and M. Vaughan, Neo-Fascism in Europe, London: Longman, 1992
- N. Copsey, Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004
- D. Holland, The Political Soldier - A Statement, 1984
- M. A. Lee, The Beast Reawakens, London: Warner Books, 1997
External links
- Final Conflict
- Steve Silver, "A century of British fascism", Searchlight
- v
- t
- e
- British Brothers' League
- British Fascists
- British People's Party
- British Union of Fascists
- The Britons
- Britons Publishing Society
- English National Association
- Imperial Fascist League
- The Link
- Militant Christian Patriots
- National Fascisti
- National Party
- National Socialist League
- Nordic League
- Right Club
post-1945 groups
- British Democratic Party
- British Empire Party
- British Freedom Party
- British People's Party
- British League of Ex-Servicemen and Women
- British League of Rights
- British National Party
- Column 88
- Conservative Democratic Alliance
- Constitutional Movement
- England First Party
- European Liberation Front
- Flag Group
- For Britain
- Football Lads Alliance
- Greater Britain Movement
- International Third Position
- League of Empire Loyalists
- Liberty GB
- National Democratic Party
- National Democrats
- National Fellowship
- National Independence Party
- National Labour Party
- National Party
- National Socialist Action Party
- National Socialist Movement
- National Socialist Movement
- Nationalist Alliance
- New Britain Party
- New Nationalist Party
- Northern League
- Official National Front
- Patriotic Party
- Racial Preservation Society
- Revolutionary Conservative Caucus
- Spearhead
- Union Movement
- United Country Party
- White Defence League
- White Nationalist Party
- Western Goals Institute
- Blood & Honour
- Britain First
- British Democratic Party
- British Movement
- British National Party (BNP Youth)
- Christian Council of Britain
- Combat 18
- English Defence League
- English Democrats (some members)
- Friends of Oswald Mosley
- Homeland Party
- League of Saint George
- London Forum
- National Action
- National Front
- National Liberal Party
- November 9th Society
- Patriotic Alternative
- Protestant Coalition
- Pie and Mash squad
- Order of Nine Angles
- Racial Volunteer Force
- Sonnenkrieg Division
- Stop Islamisation of Europe
- Traditional Britain Group
- Mary Sophia Allen
- John Amery
- Henry Hamilton Beamish
- John Beckett
- Hastings Russell, 12th Duke of Bedford
- R. B. D. Blakeney
- A. K. Chesterton
- John Henry Clarke
- Thomas Haller Cooper
- Barry Domvile
- Henry Drummond Wolff
- Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll
- William Evans-Gordon
- Robert Forgan
- Rolf Gardiner
- Patrick Boyle, 8th Earl of Glasgow
- Harold Elsdale Goad
- Reginald Goodall
- Robert Gordon-Canning
- Louis Greig
- Neil Francis Hawkins
- J. F. C. Fuller
- William Joyce
- Arnold Leese
- Rotha Lintorn-Orman
- Frank McLardy
- Unity Mitford
- Diana Mosley
- Cynthia Mosley
- Oswald Mosley
- Gerard Wallop, 9th Earl of Portsmouth
- Archibald Maule Ramsay
- David Mitford, 2nd Baron Redesdale
- Alliott Verdon Roe
- Edward Russell, 26th Baron de Clifford
- Alexander Raven Thomson
- Graham Seton Hutchison
- Herbert Vivian
- Charlie Watts
- Nesta Helen Webster
- Arthur Wellesley, 5th Duke of Wellington
- Henry Williamson
- Ormonde Winter
- Francis Yeats-Brown
- Ian Anderson
- Richard Barnbrook
- A. F. X. Baron
- James Larratt Battersby
- Derek Beackon
- John Bean
- Carl Benjamin
- Jane, Lady Birdwood
- Jonathan Bowden
- Andrew Brons
- Kevin Bryan
- Jack Buckby
- Eddy Butler
- A. K. Chesterton
- Mark Collett
- David Copeland
- Mark Cotterill
- Nicky Crane
- Simon Darby
- Sharon Ebanks
- Richard Edmonds
- Jim Dowson
- Andrew Fountaine
- Jayda Fransen
- Paul Golding
- Nick Griffin
- Jeffrey Hamm
- Anthony Hancock
- Patrick Harrington
- Ray Hill
- Derek Holland
- Tom Holmes
- Katie Hopkins
- David Irving
- Colin Jordan
- Raheem Kassam
- Arthur Kemp
- Alex Kurtagić
- John Kingsley Read
- Alan Lake
- Richard Lawson
- Tony Lecomber
- Michael McLaughlin
- Eddy Morrison
- John Morse
- David Myatt
- John O'Brien
- Roy Painter
- Neema Parvini
- Denis Pirie
- Kevin Quinn
- Anthony Reed Herbert
- Robert Relf
- Jack Renshaw
- Colin Robertson
- Tommy Robinson
- Robert Row
- Simon Sheppard
- Kenny Smith
- Troy Southgate
- Ian Stuart Donaldson
- Keith Thompson
- John Tyndall
- Richard Verrall
- Adam Walker
- Anne Marie Waters
- Paul Joseph Watson
- Martin Webster
- Robert West
- Paul Weston
- Graham Williamson
- Martin Wingfield
- John Graeme Wood
- Milo Yiannopoulos
- Anglo-German Fellowship
- Battle of Cable Street
- British Fascism
- British National Party election results
- Cliveden set
- Europe a Nation
- List of British fascist parties
- National Front election results
- Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies
- Political Soldier
- Rock Against Communism
- Candour
- Redwatch