As is so typical of collaborative projects like this one, achievement rests upon a number of different factors – the failure of any one of which can spell disaster. In the first place, the international conference incubating this edited volume, “’Clerical Fascism’ in Interwar Europe”, held in Oxford between 7 and 9 April 2006, was graciously funded by the Department of History, University of Northampton; the Institute of Cultural and Historical Studies, Oxford Brookes University; the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary; the History Faculty and Modern European History Research Centre, University of Oxford; and by Routledge Journals. We gratefully acknowledge their individual and collective support in making this event both a reality and a success.
Yet the conversion of a successful weekend into a substantial publication was due to assiduous labour and remarkable dedication by Tudor Georgescu. Alongside the impressive reliability of our individual contributors – every one of whom has been punctual and professional – Georgescu’s personal and academic qualities made this volume possible.
Also typically, the guidance of Routledge Journals’ staff continues to be invaluable. They consistently offered support and encouragement, and patience when the going got either difficult or distracted. For the particularly impressive team supporting TMPR – here Glyn Lavers, Nicola Garwood, Louise Armstrong, Rebecca Webb and Richard Delahunty are especially worthy of our thanks – capitalised acknowledgements are, yet again, due and deserved.
Additional assistance has been kindly granted by a host of other individuals who either participated in the conference itself, or subsequently helped bring about this volume: Sorin Antohi, Robert Bates, Carol Beadle, Martin Conway, Robert Evans, Roger Griffin, Paul Jackson, Robert Mallett, Harriet Notley and Sally Sokoloff. Our thanks are due to you all.
Finally, this volume is dedicated to three exceptional people: to Detlef Mühlberger, a pioneer in the study of how Nazis became Nazis, a humbly exceptional scholar and gentleman, and a valued friend; to Jodie Feldman, a genuine believer, with love; and to Aliki Georgakopoulou, with love, and with thanks.