Canaanism was a cultural and ideological movement founded in 1939 that reached its peak in the 1940s among the Jews of Mandatory Palestine. It has had significant effect on the course of Israeli art, literature and spiritual and political thought. Its adherents were called Canaanites (Hebrew: כנענים‎). The movement's original name was the Council for the Coalition of Hebrew Youth (הוועד לגיבוש הנוער העברי‎) or less formally, the Young Hebrews; "Canaanism" was originally a pejorative term. It grew out of Revisionist Zionism and according to Ron Kuzar had "its early roots in European extreme right-wing movements, notably Italian fascism". Most of its members were part of the Irgun or Lehi.