ABSTRACT

The concept of the ‘fifth column’ had emerged in the Spanish Civil War, yet it was attributed as being the decisive element in the German success. This chapter argues that the real strength of the British fear of the fifth column was not in recently arrived Jewish migrants or communists but instead lay in a deep-seeded discord and suspicion of the upper echelons of society and those with right-wing sympathies. In comparison to other home fronts in 1940, the fifth column scare in both Canada and Australia reached overpowering proportions. The focus on Quisling as the arch fifth columnist gave legitimacy to the whole idea of the influence subversion and that it was the members of society’s elite who would provide the most valuable service. The fifth column scare had a positive impact on the British security services. The British public proved impervious to the fifth column fear of 1940.