Depression,The

Often known as ‘the Great Depression’, this was the economic slump in North America, Europe, and other industrialised areas of the world that began in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. It was the longest and most severe depression ever experienced by the industrialised Western world. Banks collapsed and unemployment soared causing social unrest and political instability.

Fascism

This extreme right wing political ideology dominated many parts of Europe between 1919 and 1945, and had supporters worldwide. Although fascist parties and movements differed significantly from each other, they had many characteristics in common, including extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the rule of elites, and the desire to create a Volksgemeinschaft (German: “people's community”), in which individual interests would come second to the good of the nation. As a result outsiders, in terms of race, beliefs, ideas or on any other terms, do not fare well in a fascist state.

Blackshirts

Sir Oswald Mosley (1896-1980), was leader of the British Union of Fascists from 1932 to 1940 and of its successor, the Union Movement, from 1948 until his death. These groups were known for distributing anti-Semitic propaganda, conducting hostile demonstrations in the Jewish sections of east London, and wearing Nazi-style uniforms and insignia. The black uniforms gave his followers their name.

agit-prop

Originally this term referred specifically to a department of the Central Committee of the Russian Communist Party responsible, with its local branches, for 'agitation and propaganda' on behalf of Communism. It has come to be used to refer to any activities or writing with a left-wing message or political intention.