new zealand legion

The New Zealand Legion

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  The year 1933 witnessed an unprecedented eruption of protest amongst urban businessmen and professionals in New Zealand. The most prominent manifestation of this protest was a radical conservative movement named the New Zealand Legion.

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• Page 2 – Origins

  The Wall Street Crash of October 1929 is generally recognised as the event that triggered the Great Depression. In New Zealand, the effects of the crash were not immediately

• Page 3 – The desire to 'do something'

  The New Zealand Legion was much more than a conservative protest against the coalition government. It was the focal point for a wide range of individuals, overwhelmingly from

• Page 4 – Organisation and membership

  For the first few months after its February 1933 formation, the New Zealand Legion’s efforts were devoted to organisation and recruitment.

• Page 5 – Ideology

  While the New Zealand Legion’s initial policy was deliberately vague, it contained several key elements that were central to the movement’s ideology throughout its life.

• Page 6 – Internal conflicts

  Because the New Zealand Legion was such a catch-all movement for various ideas and grievances, it was inevitable that its inherent contradictions would surface.

• Page 7 – Decline

  Internal divisions and resignations over policy had considerably sapped the New Zealand Legion’s strength by the beginning of 1934.

• Page 8 – Further information

  Links and further reading suggestions relating to the New Zealand Legion, 1933-35