The Royals (the Windsors) were always Nazi sympathisers, in fact half the landed gentry in 1930's Britain were facists ****s, it's well known but the Royals and the rest of the toffs would rather this was airbrushed from history.
They probably thought fascism was a more aggressive and effective bulwark against radical socialism than traditional conservatism. They already saw what Bolshevism did to their relatives in Russia. By the way, fascism and National Socialism are markedly different.
Why do you think they supported fascism? In the early 20th century, revolutionary socialism and fascism were fighting for support of the people and were a direct challenge to traditional conservatism and classical liberalism.
No, they were a bunch of bigoted ****s who thought that Germany would dominate Europe so lowered their knickers and bent over.
I meant in a militaristic sense. And of course we rule. Did I mention I'm part German? That's why I always support them when they're knocking England out the cup on penalties.
Erm, they did it in militaristic sense up to a point (VE day ). And no you didn't mention which part of you is German.
National Socialism is a inherently facist doctrine. They may have indeed been afraid of Socialism,plenty of people were, but plenty did not turn to the other extreme of the political spectrum as a defence mechanism. The WIndsors were Nazi symapthisers, it has been suggested, or more accurately there is evidence, that at least one of them was a collborator. A few too inside the top end of society, Lords and Ladies, Barons and Earls, all in it up to their self preserving necks.
LORD DARLINGTON was adamant. The two young German maids would have to go . Miss Kenton, the housekeeper, was close to tears as she explained that they would have to return to Germany – a terrible risk considering both were Jewish. But his lordship remained unmoved. He believed in appeasement towards Nazi Germany and the employment of Jewish people was “inappropriate”. Although fictional, there is a bitter ring of truth about this scene – featuring James Fox and Emma Thompson – from the 1993 film The Remains Of The Day, based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel. The Lord Darlington figure was typical of a formidable group of British peers who were attracted by Hitler and supported efforts to keep the dictator placated. A new book, Aristocrats by Lawrence James, includes material on such ardently Right-wing and anti-Semitic aristocrats and how their vile attitudes brought considerable satisfaction to Hitler. What lay behind their support of appeasement was a fear of Communism . “What emerges,” writes James, “is a picture of a knot of peers adrift in an uncongenial world, united by paranoia, pessimism and panic.” They all saw an immensely powerful union between Communism and the Jewish people as a world conspiracy that could be thwarted only by Fascism. Both Hitler and his strutting Italian cohort Mussolini offered these bewildered aristocrats a safe world that would be secure from any Communist takeover. It also confirmed their long-held private prejudice. Explains James: “[Visceral] anti-Semitism permeated the upper classes between the wars. Jews were vilified as flashy and pushy arrivistes with a knack of enriching themselves when the aristocracy was grumbling about an often exaggerated downturn in their fortunes.” W hat made such hatred additionally odious was the fact these peers continued to air their views long after Hitler’s persecution of Germany’s Jewish population had become widely known.Prominent among such peers was Lord Brocket who joined various anti-Semitic organisations. He fawned over visiting Nazi officials whom he invited to his home and even attended the celebrations for Hitler’s 50th birthday.Brocket, said to be “a fundamentally nice but stupid man” even deluded himself that he was a valuable link between Hitler and Britain’s leaders. It was suggested that he lit fires on his Hertfordshire estates to guide German bombers on their way to London. Another pro-Nazi peer was Lord Redesdale . His daughters, who became famous as the literary Mitford sisters, included Unity who went to Germany and stalked Hitler, having fallen in love with him. Although she did become close to Hitler – he considered her to be a “perfect example of Aryan womanhood” – he told her to return to England as war approached. She shot herself in the head in Munich’s English Garden but survived and was dispatched home.Another admirer of Hitler was the Duke of Westminster, a man who believed countless conspiracies among British Jews to subvert the country. He even spent the first year of the war demanding, to whoever would listen, that peace be made with Germany. One of the most colourful ermine-clad extremists was the 22nd Earl of Erroll, the Casanova of Kenya’s debauched Happy Valley set. After being mesmerised by Hitler, this devastatingly handsome man promised to introduce Fascism to East Africa. This included a self-supporting empire that would not “trade with the dirty foreigner”. But his plans were short-lived. The Earl was found murdered in his car on January 24, 1941, on a country road outside Nairobi. It has been suggested that his death was carried out by the British secret services when his political activities became dangerous. Among the most famous names associated with anti-Semitism was the fifth Duke of Wellington . He became a member of the secret Right Club, which attempted to unify all pre-war Right-wing groups in Britain. The founder, Archibald Ramsay, said of the organisation: “The main objective was to oppose and expose the activities of organised Jewry. Our first objective was to clear the Conservative Party of Jewish influence, and the character of our membership and meetings were strictly in keeping with this objective.” Yet another extremist was the Marquess of Graham . He succeeded to the title of Duke of Montrose and went to live in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) where he became a staunch white supremacist. He served in Ian Smith’s breakaway Rhodesia Front government and in one speech said: “The Beatles, international finance groups, colonial freedom movements and students agitators were all agents of a communist plot to achieve world domination.” One Hitler-admiring peer, the Duke of Buccleuch, was even close to King George VI as the Lord Steward of the Royal Household. He also accompanied Lord Brocket to celebrate the Führer’s 50th birthday. It was a matter of personal delight to Hitler that the duke, a man who served in the very court of Britain’s Royal Family, was there . Buccleuch was opposed to any war with the Nazis and when it did break out in 1939, he joined the Peace Aims Group and urged a truce based on Germany keeping all the lands Hitler had stolen in Europe. Even after the bombing started, he continued to defend Hitler. A continuing embarrassment to the King, he was sacked in 1940. One of the most alarming figures among this cabal was Lord Londonderry – Winston Churchill’s cousin and a member of one of the country’s wealthiest aristocratic families. The king called him “Charlie” and other members of the Royal Family were frequent guests at his London home, as were major political figures.He regularly visited Germany, met Hitler several times and even stayed with Goering at his hunting lodge. But he was not taken seriously and Churchill referred to him as a “half-wit”. He was known in the press as “the Londonderry Herr” for his pro-German leanings.One of the best-known figures was Sir Oswald Mosley, founder of the Blackshirts and a man who yearned to be Britain’s own “Führer”. A highly charismatic man , he was deeply impressed by Mussolini and founded the British Union of Fascists. I once interviewed him at his Versailles home and over lunch, at which Lady Mosley (one of the Mitford sisters) was present, we discussed the Holocaust. I mentioned, just in the course of conversation, that I was Jewish – at which Lady Mosley went ashen, snapped a crimson nail and left the room. No explanation was given but she would later write to a friend: “A nice, polite reporter came to interview Tom [as Mosley was known] but he turned out to be Jewish and was sitting there at our table. They are a very clever race and come in all shapes and sizes.” B ut towering over all these figures were the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. He had abdicated as King Edward VIII in 1936 in order to marry American divorcée, Wallis Simpson. They were later given the ducal titles . Their admiration for Hitler concerned the government, particularly after they were entertained by him on a visit in 1937. Even the Americans were alarmed – the FBI sent a memo to President Roosevelt stating that the duchess was “exceedingly pro-German in her sympathies and connections”. The Duke was given the wartime job of governor of the Bahamas and Roosevelt ordered the FBI to follow them when they visited the US. It was believed that Goering had concluded a deal with the Duke to install him on the throne after Germany had won the war. His court would, no doubt, have comprised many of those pernicious peers who had lauded Hitler so lavishly.
Nazism is derived from fascism but fascism isn't inherently racist or anti-Semitic. It's ultra-nationalist but not principally racist. Prior to Hitler and Mussolini's alliance, there were a lot of Jewish members of the National Fascist Party.
