Matthew Feldman

Comparative Lone Wolf Terrorism: Toward a Heuristic Definition

Lone wolf terrorism has a long and bloody past, even if the motivations and context of this tactic over the last three decades by right-wing extremists and, more recently, jihadi Islamists, have witnessed a noticeable spike with the onset of the Internet Age. By approaching lone wolf terrorism as a generic phenomenon, this article will retrace both the historical trajectory and recent revival of this self-directed recourse to the “terrorist cycle.” This extends to an overview of earlier waves of lone wolf terrorism (notably deriving from anarchist and leftist doctrines), as well as a survey of the surprisingly sparse academic literature on the subject in English. By way of contribution, this review of some key instances and interpretations of lone wolf terrorism pursues two straightforward aims. The first is the identification of a nearly 150-year tradition of lone wolf terrorism now at its most ideologically disparate and potentially destructive, and the second is a heuristic definition and accompanying discussion of pan-ideological, solo-activated terrorism.

Reappraising the ‘Pound Case’, 1940–45

Turning to World War II, this shorter chapter approaches serial misunderstandings in the ‘Pound case’, many of which are derived from the patchy historical record on his wartime activism. In setting out the areas to be discussed over the second part of this book, this chapter introduces many of the key figures with whom Pound worked at Fascist Italy’s EIAR, in addition to emphasizing both the difficulty of separating Pound’s poetry from his other writings, as well as his general importance to the Axis war effort — particularly Anglophone radio broadcasting.

Terrorist ‘Radicalising Networks’: A Qualitative Case Study on Radical Right Lone-Wolf Terrorism

The threat posed by terrorism today is changing rapidly—as have methods of study of this phenomenon, including analysis of radicalisation and the ‘terrorist cycle’. This chapter takes a qualitative approach to one aspect of contemporary terrorism, self-directed (‘lone wolf’) terrorism by right-wing extremists. Predominately plaguing the USA at first, solo actor terrorism by fascist extremists crossed the Atlantic in 1999 with David Copeland’s attacks in London, and most horrifically with Anders Behring Breivik’s murder of 77 people in Oslo and Utoya in 2011. Like these two terrorist murderers, the two case studies discussed here, Neil Lewington and Ian Davison, were also radicalised online through ‘passive’ and ‘active’ networks of support. Although interdicted before committing acts of terrorism, the different pathways of online radicalisation by Lexington and Davison are the central subject here.

Beckett’s “Non-canonical” Radio Productions, 1957–1989

This chapter sets the scene for the volume by providing a chronological case-log and production details for Samuel Beckett’s “non-canonical” radio broadcasts for BBC radio between 1957 and 1989. Included are details of production and transmission and cast and crew, as well as BBC “framing” announcements involved in each pre-recording. Although the amount of information available at the BBC Written Archives Centre on these radio productions is quite variable—from virtually nothing on the 1966 performance of Play, to extensive holdings on the BBC transmission of Beckett’s Rimbaud translation, “The Drunken Boat,” a decade later—the following represents the most complete account to date of Beckett’s “adaptations” for BBC radio.

‘Penny-wise…’: Ezra Pound’s Posthumous Legacy to Fascism

This essay examines the ways in which the American emigre Ezra Pound has become a reverence points for the extreme right on both sides of the Atlantic. Feldman and Rinaldi examine how Pound contributed to activism in Britain, America and also Italy, where the recent Casa Pound movement has drawn heavily on his memory. Their essay is important both to the study of fascism and to the on-going debates on the reception of Pound within literary studies too. The Pound case reminds us that fascism is an ideology that can possess profound cultural dynamics, as well as extremist political messages, and was able to attract the considerable intellectual energies of one of the foremost modernist poets.

Unpaid Propaganda ‘for a Decent Europe’, 1935–40

Treating the five years before the outbreak of World War II, this chapter considers Pound’s turn toward writing gratis propaganda on behalf of Fascist Italy and the British Union of Fascists. Textual discussion of 65 texts written between winter 1935–36 and spring 1940 is also treated with an eye to the synergy between Pound’s propaganda and ideological points raised by European fascist movements, ranging from the invasion of Abyssinia to the increased endorsement of anti-Semitism in the later 1930s. Pound’s propaganda writings for the BUF (Action, British Union Quarterly) and Fascist Italy (the British-Italian Bulletin), respectively, are further contextualized through his extensive correspondence with leading figures in both movements.

Conclusion: The Salò Republic, 1943–45

This concluding chapter covers the least known period of Pound’s life; namely, his propaganda for Mussolini’s RSI between autumn 1943 and the final defeat of the Axis in spring 1945. In further revealing Pound’s importance to the Nazi-puppet regime, this chapter highlights his knowledge of anti-Jewish actions in northern Italy during this time, as well as his work for Radio Milan (broadcasting base of the Salo Republic), return to ‘epic’ poetry with “Canto LXXII” and Canto “LXXIII”, and commitment to the fascist cause until the very end of World War II.

Approaching Pound’s Fascism: Development of an Ideologue

This chapter analyzes some of the longer-term drivers for Pound’s turn toward European fascism between the wars, especially with respect to his artistic experiences and interest in ‘social credit’ economics. Critical discussions of Pound’s work on the ‘Malatesta Cantos’ is presented for its influence upon his later politics, as is his Fascist ‘conversion’ during winter 1932–33 — culminating with his only meeting with Mussolini on 30 January 1933 — reflected in his 1935 (but written in February 1933) study, Jefferson and/or Mussolini.

Pound’s Propaganda Themes and Strategies, 1940–43

Following on from the historiographical reappraisal in the previous chapter, the discussion here is focused upon Pound’s propaganda themes and strategies — some of which were clearly inspired and refined by his reading of Hitler’s Mein Kampf in 1942. By considering key documents in Pound’s FBI files and neglected manuscripts at Yale’s Beinecke archives, this chapter suggests that Pound was far more influential, and far more respected, as an Axis propagandist than has been previously argued. Derivatively, his ideological views, in both EIAR broadcasts and less frequent journalism, are in close keeping with the views of key functionaries no less than the wider Axis trajectory during World War II — from declarations of a ‘new order’ in Europe to calls for vengeance against ‘traitors’ and ‘Jews’ by the time of Mussolini’s 1943 arrest and Pound’s contemporaneous indictment for treason by US authorities.

Pound’s Radio Propaganda: Revisiting the Critical Literature, 1940–43

Critiquing the traditional readings and frequent assumptions surrounding Pound’s wartime propaganda, this chapter revisits the expansive historiographical discussion on the content, extent and dating of Pound’s World War II activities. By returning to neglected archival holdings in Britain and the US, this chapter also makes clear that a great deal of the critical literature on Pound’s work for the Axis during World War II needs to be reconsidered; not least as Pound’s wartime role has been marginalized or written-off for too long, despite his relative importance to World War II on the fourth front’: radio broadcasting.