Reading:

Secondary -

Albert Lindemann, A History of European Socialism, pp143-147 (on moderate reformism and the failure of Marxism in Britain), pp232-234 (on the formation and early development of the British Labour Party)

Dick Geary, Labour and Socialist Movements in Europe before1914  

• Gordon Phillips, "The British Labour Movement before 1914"

Ross McKibbin, “Why was there no Marxism in Great Britain?”, English Historical Review, April, 1984, vol.99, pp297-331 (This is a pdf file.  If you need Acrobat Reader, download it here.  Or it is available on reserve in Library)

John Callaghan, Socialism in Britain, ch 2. The Marxists: Conclusion

Primary -

Ethical Socialism in England: 

J. Bruce Glasier, The Meaning of Socialism (1919)

Philip Snowden, Autobiography 

Robert Blatchford, Merrie England (1895)

Fabianism:

Albert Fried and Ronald Sanders (eds), Socialist Thought. A Documentary History

•  Sidney Webb, “English Progress Towards Social Democracy”, pp399-403

The Fabian Programme (1886)

Sidney Webb, "The Historic Basis of Socialism" (1889)

George Bernard Shaw on the Fabians, Letter to Pakenham Beatty, 27 May 1887

The Labour Party

1906 Election Manifesto

Criticism of Labour Moderation and Ineffectiveness

Ben Tillett, Is the Parliamentary Labour Party a Failure? (1908)

Beatrice Webb, Diaries

Questions on your reading:

Ethical Socialism": J. Bruce Glasier, The Meaning of Socialism, Philip Snowden, Autobiography and Robert Blatchford, Merrie England  

1. How would you sum up the character and ideals of the ethical socialist movement as revealed by these three sources?

Fabianism:  The Fabian Programme and Sidney Webb, "The Historic Basis of Socialism" 

1. What four conditions are necessary for progressive "organic change" according to Webb?

2. How does the character and activity of Fabianism differ from that of the ethical socialist movement described above?

The Labour Party:  1906 Election Manifesto, Ben Tillett, Is the Parliamentary Labour Party a Failure? (1908), Beatrice Webb, Diaries

1. What was the character of Labour's parliamentary politics before 1914 and how effective was it?