Music, Youth and International Links in Post-War British Fascism

1. Introduction.- 2. The Fascist Tradition, 1967-1977.- 3. Youth Against Tradition, 1977-1983.- 4. An International Youth Movement, 1983-1990.- 5. Building a Street Force, 1990-1999.- 6. Fascist Modernization, 1999-2005.- 7. The Fascist Peak and the Fascist Decline, 2005-2016.- 8. Conclusion.- Appendix.- Bibliography.- Index.

Ryan Shaffer is an historian and writer. His academic work focuses on Asian and European history with particular interest in extremism and political violence. He has published over 150 articles, reviews and chapters about European and South Asian politics in popular magazines and scholarly journals.

"Important contribution to the historiography on the growth of the extreme right in the British Isles since the end of the Second World War ... . rich detail how extreme right activists thus exploited 'White Power' music as part of their political and cultural crusade ... ." (Steven Woodbridge, The Historian, August 10, 2023)

"Examine the intellectual and ideological dimensions of the British far right, which in turn explain their struggles to gain popular appeal and political legitimacy ... ." (Kyle Burke, Terrorism and Political Violence, Vol. 35 (5), 2023)


"An overdue in-depth historical examination of some of the more important developments to have taken place on the extreme right of underground British (and indeed global) politics in recent decades. Showcasing impressively exhaustive research, combining a wide-ranging study of primary published materials and a raft of interviews with key figures in the British neo-fascist subculture, this is an account thatably explains several important developments and rightly highlights the importance of transnational connections to contemporary forms of fascist politics." (Benjamin Bland, Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 56 (2), 2021)

"A great addition to upper-level sociology, anthropology, musicology, political science, or social science courses looking to elevate the level of seriousness with which cultural forms like music are considered. This book may help politicians, policy makers, and youth community workers understand how nascent-and seemingly dead-ideologies return to life. Lastly, Shaffer's book may be of interest to fans of punk music and music in general, especially those who want to start to understand the slippery nature of politics exploiting music ... ." (Michael J. Lorr, Journal for the Study of Radicalism, Vol. 14 (1), 2020)

"For anyone with a deep interest and knowledge in British fascism of that period, this will be an essential source ... ." (Stephen Dorril,