SUPPORTING FASCISM
During the 1930s, the Daily Mail supported the rise of fascism, running many headlines and editorials in support of fascist regimes, especially those in Germany and Italy. Lord Rothermere, the owner of the Daily Mail at the time, was friends with Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) and Benito Mussolini (1883-1945), and deliberately guided the newspaper to support them.
The support extended to fascism in the UK, with advocacy of British fascism declared in one of the newspaper’s most famous articles, ‘Hurrah for the Blackshirts!’. The advocacy of fascism did stop, but there are conflicting theories as to why: on the surface, it stopped as a reaction to violence committed by the British Union of Fascists (BUF) rally in 1934; but Oswald Mosley (1896-1980, leader of the BUF) suggested it was threats of reduced advertising from the Jewish business community—a significant threat to the newspaper’s profits—that was the real reason for the change in stance.
Price, G. Ward. “The Fruits of Fascism.” Daily Mail, 16 July 1926
R. Moore, T. C., C. B. E., M. P. “The Blackshirts Have What The Conservatives Need.” Daily Mail, 25 Apr. 1934
Viscount Rothermere. “Hurrah for the Blackshirts!” Daily Mail, 15 Jan. 1934
Viscount Rothermere. “Give the Blackshirts a Helping Hand.” Daily Mail, 22 Jan. 1934
They would sell their own mother for a few quid.