Fabianism, permeation and independent labour

Historical Journal

Volumn 39, Issue 1, 1996, Pages 179-196

  Bevir, Mark ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE   (Australia)

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[No Author keywords available]

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EID: 85011531633     PISSN: 0018246X     EISSN: 14695103     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1017/S0018246X00020720     Document Type: Article

References (143)

1. See G. Shaw, ‘The Fabian society: what it has done and how it has done it’, Fabian Tract, xli (1892).
2. Also see M. Cole, The story of Fabian socialism (London, 1961)
3. E. Pease, The history of the Fabian society (London, 1916)
4. to a lesser extent, P. Pugh, Educate, agitate, organise (London, 1984).
5. Some non-Fabians share their view: see A. Freemantle, This little band of prophets (London, 1960)
6. J. Milburn, ‘The Fabian society and the British Labour party’, Western Political Quarterly (1958), pp. 319–340
7. D. Ricci, ‘Fabian socialism: a theory of rent as exploitation’, Journal of British Studies, ix (1969), 105–21.
8. See E. Hobsbawm, ‘The Fabians reconsidered’, in Labouring men (London, 1964)
9. A. McBriar, Fabian socialism and English politics (Cambridge, 1962).
10. The revisionists' view of the labour Marxists derives from H. Pelling, ‘H. H. Champion: pioneer of Labour representation’, Cambridge Journal, vi (1953), 222–38.
11. For works combining these themes see G. Foote, The Labour party's political thought (London, 1986)
12. S. Pierson, Marxism and the origins of British socialism (Ithaca, N.Y., 1973)
13. to a lesser extent, P. Thompson, Socialists, Liberals and Labour 1885–1914 (Oxford, 1965).
14. For useful histories of the Fabians that largely avoid taking sides in the dispute over their relevance see I. Britain, Fabianism and culture (Cambridge, 1982)
15. N. and J. MacKenzie, The first Fabians (London, 1977).
16. J. Brailsford Bright, ‘English possibilists’, The Practical Socialist, ii (1887), 10.
17. For details see M. Bevir, ‘Fabianism and the theory of rent’, History of Political Thought, x (1989). 3I3–27.
18. On these O'Brienites see M. Bevir, ‘The British social democratic federation 1880–1885: from O'Brienism to Marxism’, International Review of Social History, xxxvii (1992), 207–29.
19. See G. Shaw, ‘Concerning interest’, Our Comer, x (1887), 162–75, 193–207
20. G. Shaw, ‘The economic basis of socialism’, in G. Shaw {ed.), Fabian essays, intro. A. Briggs (London, 1962).
21. On Shaw's political thought at this time see M. Bevir, ‘The Marxism of George Bernard Shaw, 1883–1898’, History of Political Thought, xiii (1992), 299–318.
22. For a recent biography see M. Holroyd, Bernard Shaw, 3 vols. (Harmondsworth, 1988–1994), 192–3.
23. Many socialists interpreted Marx as having made similar arguments. For contemporary Marxists see H. Hyndman, The text book of democracy: England for all (London, 1881), pp. 39–50
24. W. Morris,’ Monopoly: or, how labour is robbed’, in The collected works of William Morris, 24 vols., intro. M. Morris (London, 1910–1915), xxiii: Signs of change, lectures on socialism, 238–54.
25. For other Fabians see S. Olivier, ‘Perverse socialism’, To-day, vi (1886), 47–55, 109–14
26. S. Webb, ‘Rent, interest and wages: being a criticism of Karl Marx and a statement of economic theory’, Passfield papers (PP), British Library of Political and Economic Science (BLPES), London, PP. vii: 4.
27. Compare the autobiographical accounts in H. Bland, Essays by Hubert Bland, ed. E. Nesbit (London, 1914)
28. G. Shaw, Sixteen self sketches (London, 1949).
29. H. Bland, ‘The Socialist party in relation to polities’, Practical Socialist, i (1886), 156
30. Shaw (ed.), Fabian Essays, p. 235.
31. Shaw (ed.), Fabian essays, p. 253
32. G. Shaw, Collected letters, ed. D. Laurence, 4 vols. (London, 1965–1988), 1:1874–1897, 252.
33. For Bland's calls for a new party also see Bland,’ Socialist party’
34. H. Bland, ‘The need of a new departure’, To-day, viii (1887), 131–41.
35. Shaw, Letters, 1, 276.
36. On the S.D.F. see H. Lee and E. Archbold, Social democracy in Britain (London, 1935)
37. C. Tsuzuki, Hyndman and British socialism (Oxford, 1961).
38. Letter of 14 Dec. 1885, Scheu Papers, International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam.
39. Cited by Tsuzuki, Hyndman, p. 71.
40. Shaw, Letters, 1, 235.
41. Letters, i, 276.
42. Compare G.Shaw, ‘The attitude of socialists towards other bodies’, Shaw Papers, British Library, London, BM. 50700, 5.
43. The Star, 1 Apr. 1889.
44. Shaw, Letters, I, 350–1.
45. See S. Webb, ‘Rate of interest and laws of distribution’, Quarterly Journal of Economics, ii (1888), 188–208
46. S. Webb, ‘The rate of interest’, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1 (1888), 469–72
47. S.Webb, ‘Henry George and socialism’, Church Reformer, March 1889
48. S.Webb, ‘The relation between wages and the remainder of the economic product’, PP. vi: 41.
49. On Webb's political thought at this time see W. Wolfe, From Radicalism to socialism (New Haven, 1975), 183–214.
50. For a biography see L. Radice, Beatrice and Sidney Webb (London, 1984).
51. Webb, ‘Distribution’, 203.
52. Also see S. Webb, ‘The need of capital’, PP. vi: 28.
53. See S. Webb, ‘What socialism is: a call to the unconverted’, The Practical Socialist, i (1886), 89–93.
54. See S. Webb, ‘The economic basis of socialism and its political programme’, PP. vi: 33
55. S. Webb, ‘Rome: a sermon in sociology’, Our Comer, xii (1888), 53–60, 79–89.
56. S. Webb, English progress towards social democracy (London, 1888), 15.
57. For an example of his use of facts to appeal to common reason see S. Webb, ‘Facts for socialists’, Fabian Tract, v (1887).
58. S. and B. Webb, The letters of Sidney and Beatrice Webb, ed. N. MacKenzie, 3 vols. (Cambridge, 1978), 1: Apprenticeships 1873–1892, 102.
59. S. Webb, Socialism in England (Baltimore, 1889), p. 20.
60. Webb, Letters, 1, 132.
61. Letters, i, 220.
62. On Radicals and the land reform movement see H. Perkin, ‘ Land reform and class conflict in Victorian Britain’, in J. Butt and I. Clarke (eds.), The Victorians and social protest (Newton Abbott, 1973).
63. For a list of executive members see Pease, History, Appendix 3.
64. On Wilson see N. Walter, ‘ Introduction’ to Three essays on anarchism by C. Wilson (Orkney, 1979).
65. As the leading anarchist within the Fabian society, she lectured the society on the nature of anarchism and she wrote the section on anarchism in an early Fabian tract oudining the different types of socialism: see minutes of the executive committee, 23/12/1885, Fabian society papers (FP), Nuffield College, Oxford
66. C. Wilson and Others, ‘What socialism is’, Fabian Tract, iv (1886).
67. G. Shaw, ‘A manifesto’, Fabian Tract, ii (1884).
68. For the collectivist programme of the S.D.F. see Justice, 25 Oct. 1884. In 1883 the D.F. published a socialist pamphlet - The democratic federation, Socialism made plain: being the social and political manifesto of the democratic federation (London, 1883) - but Justice still called only for social palliatives - Justice, 19 Jan. 1884.
69. See, for instance, A. Besant, Radicalism and socialism (London, 1887)
70. The Link, 7 Apr. 1888. For a biography see A. Nethercot, The first five lives of Annie Besant (London, 1961).
71. For one such debate see A. Besant and G. Foote, Is socialism sound? (London, 1887).
72. Holroyd, Bernard Shaw, 1, 192–3.
73. ‘Fabian notes’, Our Corner, vii (1886), 189.
74. On the proceedings also see A. Besant, ‘The Fabian conference’, To-day, vi (1886), 8–14.
75. Shaw, ‘Fabian society’, p. 12.
76. Fabian society. p. 12.
77. See The Practical Socialist, ii (1887), 16.
78. ‘Fabian parliamentary League manifesto’, Practical Socialist, 11 (1887), 47.
79. Webb, Letters, 1, 79, 81.
80. On the differences within the Capital reading group also see G. Shaw, ‘Bluffing the value theory’, To-day, xi (1889), 128–35
81. G. Shaw, ‘On the history of Fabian economies’, in Pease, History.
82. On Wallas see T. Quaker, Graham Wallas and the Great Society (London, 1980)
83. M. Weiner, Between two worlds: the political thought of Graham Wallas (Oxford, 1971).
84. On his education see G. Wallas, ‘Fragment on education’, Wallas papers (WP), BLPES.
85. For his positivism see G. Wallas, ‘Personal duty under the present system’, The Practical Socialist, 1 (1886), 118–20, 124–5.
86. For his Aristoteleanism see G. Wallas, ‘Aristotle on wealth and property’, To-day, x (1888), 16–20, 49–53
87. G. Wallas, ‘Lecture on Aristotle's Polities’, WP.
88. Webb, Letters, 1, 94–95.
89. Letters. 1, 101–2.
90. On London government and the Fabians see McBriar, Fabian socialism
91. Thompson, Socialists.
92. See The Practical Socialist, ii (1887), 16.
93. Compare S. Webb, The London programme (London, 1891)
94. J. Firth, London government and how to reform it (London, 1879)
95. H. Hyndman, A commune for London (London, 1888).
96. G. Shaw, ‘The true radical programme’, Fabian Tract, vi (1887)
97. S. Webb, Wanted a programme: an appeal to the Liberal party (London, 1888).
98. See Webb, Letters, 1, 157
99. S. Webb, ‘An eight hours bill’, Fabian Tract, ix (1889)
100. S. Webb, ‘The truth about leasehold enfranchisement’, Fabian Tract, xxii (1890).
101. Webb, Letters, i, 109.
102. For membership figures see H. Pelling, The origins of the Labour party 1880–1900 (Oxford, 1965), Appendix A.
103. Provincial socialism developed in many ways: see, on Bradford, J. Burgess, A potential poet (Ilford, 1927)
104. on Bristol, S. Bryher, An account of the Labour movement in Bristol (Bristol, 1931)
105. on Manchester, R. Blatchford, My eighty years (London, 1931)
106. on Sheffield, E. Carpenter, My days and dreams (London, 1916).
107. Workman's Times, 13 Feb. 1892. The I.L.P. was not formed until 1893 but before its formation the word ‘party’ was used to describe the growing movement of labour clubs.
108. Shaw, ‘Fabian society’, pp. 20, 19.
109. ‘Fabian society’. p. 20.
110. ‘Fabian society’. p. 20.
111. ‘Fabian society’. p. 19.
112. G. Shaw, ‘The Fabian election manifesto’, Fabian Tract, xl (1892), 5
113. Fabian Tract. p. 9.
114. Fabian Tract. p. 7.
115. See Workman's Times, 27 Aug. 1892.
116. Shaw, Letters, 1, 377.
117. Letters. 1, 356 - for an indication of what Burns said see p. 362.
118. On Burns see W. Kent, John Burns: Labour's lost leader (London, 1950).
119. On the background to the Bradford conference see A. Duffy,’ Differing politics and personal rivalries in the origins of the Independent Labour party’, Victorian Studies, vi (1962), 43–65.
120. Justice, 17 May 1890.
121. B. Webb, The diary of Beatrice Webb (eds. N. and J. Mackenzie), 4 vols. (London, 1982–1985), vol. 1: 1873–1892, 302.
122. Workman's Times, 28 Jan. 1893.
123. For the proceedings see Report of the first general conference of the I.L.P. held at Bradford on 13 and 14 January 1893.
124. Workman's Times, 28 Jan. 1893.
125. Also see Shaw, Letters, 1, 378–9.
126. Workman's Times, 22 Apr. 1893.
127. See Workman's Times, 2 Dec. 1893.
128. See Webb, Letters, 1, 258, 271.
129. See Letters. 1, 241, 250, 252–3, 254, 256.
130. Letters. 1, 350.
131. Letters. 1, 355.
132. Letters. 1, 237.
133. Letters, 1, 354.
134. Webb, Letters, ii: Partnership 1892–1912, p. 9.
135. G. Shaw and S. Webb,’ To Your Tents, O Israel’, Fortnightly Review, lx (1893), 569–89.
136. B. Webb, Our partnership (London, 1948), p. 110.
137. Pease, History, p. 117.
138. G. Shaw, ‘Typescript syllabus of 1896’, BM. 50557.
139. G. Shaw, ‘Report on Fabian policy’, Fabian Tract, lxx (1896).
140. Webb, Our partnership, p. 110.
141. The leading figures of the I.L.P. were members of the Fabian society, who, in varying measure, fused Radicalism with socialism and working-class identity: see K. Morgan, Keir Hardie: Radical and socialist (London, 1975)
142. D. Marquand, Ramsay MacDonald (London, 1977).
143. On the I.L.P., and theoretical disputes therein, see D. Howell, British workers and the Independent Labour party 1888–1906 (Manchester, 1983).