Author Description

Richard Griffiths's previous book was a highly praised biography of Marshal Petain, published in 1970. In his new book, he has turned his formidable powers to analysing the motivation of British people in the Thirties who, broadly speaking, were enthusiasts for Nazi Germany. They formed a significant section of opinion. By recourse to and careful study of original documents, he has built up a picture which is surprisingly different from that created by the generalisations of hindsight.Approval of Nazi Germany was not, when at its height the prerogative of fascist and extremist groups. It affected a remarkably wide area of society, and could be found in people of all walks of life and of most political opinions. Surprisingly, its highest point was in the mid-Thirties, in the years 1936 and 1937, and not in the first flush of the new regime. Many of its proponents were among the most patriotic of British citizens.This is not a book about 'appeasement', numerous studies of which already exist. Where those who feature centrally in this book differ from most appeasers is in their positive approval of Nazi Germany, as opposed to the mere desire to get on with her for contingent reasons. For this reason, albeit their attitudes ranged from polite acquiescence to white-hot ardour, the author has dubbed them 'enthusiasts'.