The thesis sets out to examine the political importance of the Marconi Scandal and also to study the use of anti-semitism during the affair and the wider implications of this hostility to Jews. Using a wide variety of sources, the first three chapters analyse the Scandal and its significance in Edwardian politics, suggesting that the parliamentary tensions traditionally described had little fundamental influence on the governing elite and its institutions. The press coverage of the Scandal is considered, indicating the political divisions and also the role played by anti-semitism in the affair. From this general approach, there develops a close study of the two journals most prominent in the anti-semitic campaign. These chapters examine the principal characters involved with the journals, their views on the Jews and the translation of this journalistic hostility into practical action, a previously undocumented episode. Finally, the Scandal is placed in its wider context of British anti-semitism before 1914. A comparative study of contemporary attitudes towards other minority groups in Britain and towards Jews in other areas of the world is also made. In this section, the main stereotypes of Jews are identified and from this approach it can be shown that British anti-semitism before 1914 is an important indicator of attitudes after the First World War. The conspiracy theory of anti-semitism is apparent well before the Russian Revolution of 1917, usually claimed to be the impetus for the British anti-semitism of the 1920s and 30s. The conclusion is that the Marconi Scandal and its ramifications mark an important transitional period in the continuum of British anti-semitism.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:463744 |
| Date | January 1978 |
| Creators | Lunn, Kenneth |
| Publisher | University of Sheffield |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/14911/ |
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