Making Fascism in Sweden and the Netherlands: Myth-Creation and Respectability, 1931-40

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There was no representative fascist movement during interwar Europe and there is much to be learned from where fascism failed, relatively speaking. So Nathanil D. B. Kunkeler skilfully argues in Making Fascism in Sweden and the Netherlands, the first in-depth analysis of Swedish and Dutch fascism in the English language. Focusing on two peripheral and therefore often overlooked fascist movements (the Swedish National Socialist Workers Party and the Dutch National Socialist Movement), this sophisticated study de-centres contemporary fascism studies by showing how smaller movements gained political foothold in liberal, democratic regimes. From charismatic leaders and the rallies they held to propaganda apparatus and mythopoeic props seized by ordinary people, Making Fascism in Sweden and the Netherlands analyses the constructs and perceptions of fascism to highlight the variegated nature of the movement in Europe and shine a spotlight on its performative process. Drawing on a wealth of archival material and using a highly innovative methodology, Kunkeler provides a nuanced analysis of European fascism which allows readers to rediscover the experimental character of far-right politics in interwar Europe.

Reviews

An excellent addition to the existing literature on transnational fascism - Nathanil Kunkeler's work makes a fascinating and original contribution to this burgeoning field, and one which I read with great pleasure and profit. His finding that the grassroots members of the fascist parties in Sweden and the Netherlands needed to see their 'leaders' as mythical, in effect forcing them to construct a myth of their charisma even when they didn't necessarily desire to construct one themselves, is especially interesting, as is the chapter on uniforms, which grants the reader numerous new insights into this strangely under-researched aspect of fascism. * Dr. Helen Roche, Assistant Professor (Modern European Cultural History), Durham University, UK *
This book breaks new analytical ground in so many different ways. It provides a fascinating and convincing counterbalance to conventional geographies of interwar fascism. By redirecting attention to the supposed peripheries of the fascist universe, it puts Swedish and Dutch fascism firmly on the transnational map of fascist ideological mobilities. It also modulates conventional assumptions about the supposed failure of fascism in northern liberal democracies. Combining productively comparative and transnational perspectives, but also enriching them through a fascinating engagement with myth and performance, Making Fascism in Sweden and The Netherlands draws much-needed attention to how fascism was owned by a much wider range of radical ultranationalist actors in the interwar years and how it was effectively co-produced by them. * Aristotle Kallis, Professor of History, Keele University, UK *

Author Bio

Nathanil D. B. Kunkeler is Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX) at the University of Oslo, Norway.