ABSTRACT

The early labour movement combined radical and reformist strands – from the Independent Labour Party (ILP) to the Fabians. Influenced by nonconformism, it rejected militarism, seeking an end to poverty and oppression, at home and abroad. Some criticized aggressive foreign policy and the quest for capitalist profit overseas; but many also saw imperialism as a force for good, bringing progress to backward peoples and territories. Established in 1906, the Labour Party was overshadowed by the Liberals. A member of the Second International, its socialist credentials were always questionable.