ABSTRACT
The Public Order Act in early 1937 – banning political uniforms and paramilitarism in Britain – did much to diminish the British Union of Fascists (BUF) visibility and support. The BUF only started to recover on the eve of the Second World War, in part through the ‘Mind Britain’s Business Campaign’, which advocated avoiding war with Germany. The BUF quickly achieved national visibility between 1932 and 1934, founding branches from Brighton to Manchester, as well as in Wales and Scotland. The BUF quickly achieved national visibility between 1932 and 1934, founding branches from Brighton to Manchester, as well as in Wales and Scotland. The later 1930s saw an explosion of smaller fascist movements emerging in Britain, including the English Mistery. By early 1937 the passage of the Public Order Act – banning political uniforms and paramilitarism in Britain – did much to staunch BUF growth.
