Editing New Guard (section)

{{Short description|Australian fascist paramilitary organisation}}
{{about|the 1930s Australian political organisation|the later group of the same name|New Guard (2015–2018)|the novel by Robert Muchamore|New Guard (novel)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox militant organization
| name             = New Guard
| logo             = New Guard emblem.svg
| caption          = 
| other_name       = 
| leader           = [[Eric Campbell (political activist)|Eric Campbell]]
| foundation       = {{start date and age|16 March 1931}}
| dates            = {{Circa}} 1931–1935
| dissolved        = {{end date and age|1935}}
| merger           = 
| split            = [[Old Guard (Australia)|Old Guard]]
| predecessor      = 
| merged           = 
| successor        = 
| country          = [[Australia]]
| allegiance       = 
| motives          = 
| area             = {{flag|New South Wales}}
| headquarters     = [[Sydney]], New South Wales
| newspaper        = 
| ideology         = {{unbulleted list|
 |[[Fascism]]<ref name=TNR>{{cite book |last=Campbell |first=Eric |date=1934 |title=The New Road |url= |publisher=Briton Publishing Limited }}</ref>  
 |{{•}}[[Militarism]] 
 |{{•}}[[Monarchism]]<ref name=TNR/>  
 |{{•}}[[Anti-socialism]]<ref name=TNR/> 
 |{{•}}[[Anti-communism]]<ref name=TNR/> 
 |{{•}}[[Christian fascism]]
 |{{•}}[[Corporatism#Fascist corporatism|Fascist corporatism]]<ref name=TNR/> 
 |{{•}}[[Australian nationalism]]
}}
| position         = [[Far-right politics|Far-right]]
| anthem           = 
| crimes           = 
| attacks          = 
| status           = 
| size             = {{Circa}} 50,000 (1931)<br>{{Circa}} 80,000 (1932)<ref name="Evans">{{cite book |last1=Evans |first1=Richard |title=W. J. MacKay and the NSW Police, 1910–1948: A Dangerous Man |date=August 30, 2022 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |location=Cham, Switzerland |isbn=978-3-031-10921-8 |pages=83–107 |edition=1st |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10921-8 |language=en |access-date=March 25, 2025 |chapter='Fascism, with Modifications': The New Guard, the 'Old Guard', and Challenges to State Power, 1931–32 |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-10921-8_5}}</ref><br>{{Circa}} 1,500 (1933)<ref name="Evans" />
| revenue          = 
| financing        = 
| partof           = 
| allies           = 
| opponents        = {{plainlist|
* {{nowrap|[[New South Wales Labor Party|New South Wales Labor]]}}
* [[Lang Labor]]
}}
| battles          = 
| flag             = [[File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|135px|border]]
| website          = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}
{{Far-right politics in Australia|expanded=Defunct organisations}}
The '''New Guard''' was an Australian fascist [[paramilitary]] organisation during the [[Great Depression]].<ref name="fascist">{{cite journal |last1=Moore |first1=Andrew |title=The New Guard and the Labour Movement, 1931-35 |journal=Labour History |date=2005 |volume=89 |issue=89 |pages=55–72 |doi=10.2307/27516075 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27516075 |access-date=5 November 2020 |publisher=Liverpool University Press |jstor=27516075 |quote=Though largely confined to one city, Eric Campbell had succeeded in building the most significant fascist organisation in Australia|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name=Nerida/> It was the largest and most successful [[fascist]] organisation in Australian history.<ref name="fascist"/>

The New Guard, known for its violent agitation against [[Premier of New South Wales|NSW Premier]] [[Jack Lang (Australian politician)|Jack Lang]], was founded and led by [[Eric Campbell (political activist)|Eric Campbell]]. At its peak, membership was estimated to be around 50,000. The group's membership was predominantly made up of [[Anglo]]-[[Protestant]], [[monarchist]] and [[anti-communist]] elements.<ref name="fascist"/> 
 
The organisation attracted great publicity when member Captain [[Francis de Groot]], on horseback and at Campbell's direction, upstaged Lang in cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]] in protest at the latter's anti-monarchist ideology.

After [[1932 New South Wales constitutional crisis|Lang's dismissal in 1932]], the New Guard's membership declined rapidly. Campbell met with fascists and [[National Socialists]] such as [[Sir Oswald Mosley]] and [[Joachim von Ribbentrop]] and, in 1934, published his manifesto ''The New Road'', signalling an ideological transition towards  [[Italy|Italian]] [[corporate statism]]. As the [[Centre Party (New South Wales)|Centre Party]], it unsuccessfully contested five seats at the [[1935 New South Wales state election]]. The party failed to win a single seat, polling 0.60 per cent of the vote. Following the election, Campbell withdrew from public life. Both the party and the New Guard disbanded shortly afterwards.