View source for Political Soldier

{{short description|Concept in far-right politics}}
{{inline|date=October 2020}}
{{Far-right politics in the United Kingdom sidebar|Principles}}
'''Political Soldier''' is a [[political]] concept associated with the [[Third Position]]. It played a leading role in Britain's [[British National Front|National Front]] from the late 1970s onwards under young radicals [[Nick Griffin]], [[Patrick Harrington (activist)|Patrick Harrington]] and [[Derek Holland (activist)|Derek Holland]] of the [[Official National Front]]. The term was used to indicate an almost fanatical devotion to the cause of [[nationalism]], which its supporters felt was needed to bring about a revolutionary change in society.

A faction within the National Front called for the building of a fresh [[ethos]] within [[society]] and for the emergence of a [[New Man (utopian concept)|new man]], to be known as the Political Soldier, who would reject [[materialism]] and devote himself to the nationalist struggle with [[religious zeal]]. Basing their ideas on those of [[Julius Evola]], an Italian philosopher who sought the creation of a new [[elite]] to combat the [[decadence]] of modern [[bourgeois]] society, Political Soldiers rejected traditional [[British nationalism]] in favour of a European outlook and a [[Racialism (Racial categorization)|racialist]] equality of [[Racial segregation|separate races]].

==History==
The idea of the Political Soldier, someone who devotes all his time and energy to the nationalist struggle, was one that had long existed on the [[far right]] in [[Europe]]. [[Jean-François Thiriart]] was amongst those to argue for this need for complete devotion from [[activists]] and had set up camps to train Political Soldiers in the 1960s.

Holland published ''The Political Soldier - A Statement'' in 1984.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/2017/12/15/national-front-50-part-ii-hope-not-hate-magazine/|author=Matthew Collins|title=The National Front at 50: Part II|work=HOPE not hate|date=15 December 2017 |access-date=20 October 2020}}</ref> The pamphlet called on supporters to become consumed by their [[nationalism]] and to make it the driving force behind everything in their lives. The book offered four historical examples of a Political Soldier, i.e., the [[Sparta]]ns, the Roman [[Centurion]], the [[Crusade]]rs and the [[Iron Guard]] of [[Corneliu Zelea Codreanu]], a Romanian movement of fascism and religion. The book also made the [[Celtic Cross]] the emblem of the Political Soldiers.

The concept of the Political Soldier caused divisions within the British far right as many of its ideas were new and alien concepts. The Official National Front was eventually removed from the NF and the calls for a 'new man' were continued by the [[International Third Position]]. Within the UK, the magazine ''Final Conflict'' is still devoted to this idea. Holland's book has been translated into a number of European languages (notably into [[Polish language|Polish]] for the [[National Revival of Poland]]) whilst the term is still used by the [[National Democratic Party of Germany]] to describe its followers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bmi.bund.de/cln_028/nn_332136/sid_5C609CE842275931038221E51AE8113B/Internet/Content/Nachrichten/Archiv/Pressemitteilungen/2001/01/The__Federal__Government__has__filed__a__Id__59989__en.html |title=Errorpage |access-date=2006-09-13 |archive-date=2021-05-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513163629/https://www.bmi.bund.de/cln_028/nn_332136/sid_5C609CE842275931038221E51AE8113B/Internet/Content/Nachrichten/Archiv/Pressemitteilungen/2001/01/The__Federal__Government__has__filed__a__Id__59989__en.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*L. Cheles, R. Ferguson, and M. Vaughan, ''Neo-Fascism in Europe'', London: Longman, 1992
*N. Copsey, ''Contemporary British Fascism: The British National Party and the Quest for Legitimacy'', Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004
*[[Derek Holland (activist)|D. Holland]], ''The Political Soldier - A Statement'', 1984
*[[Martin A. Lee|M. A. Lee]], ''[[The Beast Reawakens]]'', London: Warner Books, 1997

==External links==
*''[https://web.archive.org/web/20060902032926/http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/finalconflict/ Final Conflict]''
*Steve Silver, [https://web.archive.org/web/20060828050424/http://www.searchlightmagazine.com/features/century/cbf.php?include=page8 "A century of British fascism"], ''[[Searchlight (magazine)|Searchlight]]''


{{UK far right}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:National Front (UK)]]
[[Category:Neo-Nazism in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Third Position]]