James Strachey Barnes (1890–1955) was a British theorist of

Fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

Life

He was born in India, the son of

Hugh Shakespear Barnes Sir Hugh Shakespear Barnes (14 July 1853 – 15 February 1940) was an English administrator in British India. He served as Chief Commissioner of Baluchistan several times during the 19th century. Early life and education Barnes was born in Shah ...

and his wife Winifred Strachey, daughter of Sir John Strachey. Brought up in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

by his Strachey grandparents, he was educated at

St Aubyns School St. Aubyns School was a boys' preparatory school in Rottingdean, East Sussex, England, which in its final years became co-educational and taught children of both sexes between the ages of three and thirteen. The school was founded in 1895, tak ...

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

and

King's College, Cambridge King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college lies beside the River Cam and faces out onto King's Parade in the centre of the cit ...

. He became a Roman Catholic convert in 1914. Barnes served in the Guards and Royal Flying Corps during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He then worked in the Foreign Office Intelligence department, to 1919. Subsequently, he lived in Italy, disliking British life as he found it. He was a member of the

Partito Nazionale Fascista The National Fascist Party ( it, Partito Nazionale Fascista, PNF) was a political party in Italy, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Italian Fascism and as a reorganization of the previous Italian Fasces of Combat. The ...

, and a friend of Benito Mussolini. Barnes became the leader of the ''Centre International des Études Fascistes'' (CINEF) in

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

, Switzerland. Other British founders were Edmund Garratt Gardner and Walter Starkie;

George Clarke, 1st Baron Sydenham of Combe George Sydenham Clarke, 1st Baron Sydenham of Combe, (4 July 1848 – 7 February 1933) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. He later wrote antisemitic and racist pamphlets for the British far right, as well as at least one nove ...

and Arnold Leese were members. Strachey's ''The Universal Aspects of Fascism'' was published in CINEF's journal, along with articles by Edmundo Rossoni,

Augusto Turati Augusto Turati (16 April 1888 – 27 August 1955) was an Italian journalist and Fascist politician. Born in Parma, after moving to Brescia as a young man, Turati worked on newspapers and became one of the editors at the liberal ''Provincia ...

and

Gioacchino Volpe Gioacchino Volpe (16 February 1876 – 1 October 1971) was an Italian historian and, during the years between the two world wars, a politician. Biography Born in Paganica, Volpe graduated in Letters at the University of Pisa, and in 1906 he beca ...

. Barnes became foreign editor of the periodical ''

Social Justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...

''. His

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhan ...

book ''The Universal Aspect of Fascism'' received some attention both in Italy and in Europe. Mussolini wrote the second edition's preface. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Barnes worked to publicise Fascist Italy. His own Fascist views included

palingenesis Palingenesis (; also palingenesia) is a concept of rebirth or re-creation, used in various contexts in philosophy, theology, politics, and biology. Its meaning stems from Greek , meaning 'again', and , meaning 'birth'. In biology, it is anothe ...

anti-Semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

, and opposition to

liberalism Liberalism is a political and moral philosophy based on the rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostility to autocracy, cultural distaste for c ...

. After the war he lived in Italy. On the idea of Fascism, he described:

Fascism may be defined generally as a political and social movement having as its objective the re-establishment of a political and social order, based upon the main current of traditions that have formed our European civilisation, traditions created by Rome, first by the Empire and subsequently by the Catholic Church.James Strachey Barnes, The Universal Aspect of Fascism (London: Williams and Norgate, 1928), p. 35

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, James Strachey 1890 births 1955 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of King's College, Cambridge English fascists 20th-century English male writers