ABSTRACT

ThosecommittedtothehistoryofideashavelongviewedBolshevismasa particularformofMarxismwhichcame,after1917,todominatesocialist movementsaroundtheworld.AnalystssuchasWright(1986)makethis pointwhentheyinsistonspeakingofsocialisms,plural,asanormal conditionorfact.SocialdemocracyinGermanyisonerepressedtradition; Fabianismisanother(Beilharz1991).InthispaperIendeavourtodisinter Fabianismviapoliticaleconomy.Forjustassocialismshavebeen compulsorilyhomogenisedintoauthorisedgenera,sohasFabianismbeen compactedandsubjectedtocaricature.Thosenewtothefield-ornotso new-couldbeforgivenforthinkingthattheFabianswereasect,whereas theywereinfactacircle.Oneneedonlythinkofitsleadingfigures-the Webbs,Cole,Shaw,Wells-torealisehowdifferentFabianism'sthinkers are.ThefocusinthispaperisontheWebbs,andthisraisesanother question,regardingthereceptionoftheirthought.TheWebbsthemselves havebeencaricaturedtointellectualdeath,portrayedvariouslyas heartlessadministrators,philistines,liberalStalinists-'twotypewriters clickingasone'- andsoon.Thelackofneatunionbetweenleading Fabianthinkersisnowheremoreevidentthanhere,forthisimageofthe WebbswaslargelyfuelledbyWells'ownpersonallyvindictivebookof 1911TheNewMachiavelli(Wells1985).More,thereceptionof Fabianismasanintellectualtraditioniscomplicatedbyitsownhistorical transformationacrosstheperiod,say,from1890to1950.Thedifficult andfrequentlyignoredfactofthematteristhatFabianismbeginsasa municipalandlocaltradition,yetitfinallyliquidatesintotheBeveridge PlanandtheAttleeGovernment(FabianSociety,1942/3).Fabianism becomesanadministrativetradition,butitisnotalwaysasnarrowa traditionasCrowley(1987)suggests.AsearlierwriterslikeMcBriar (1962pp.149-55)haveargued,thereisavaguerelianceofFabianismon utilitarianism,butwithalltheambiguitythatthetermactuallyconnotes.

InthecaseoftheWebbs,theemphasisisonthequalifiedviewofJohn StuartMill-betterSocratesdissatisfiedthanapigsatisfiedratherthanon thecalculusofJeremyBentham.Indifferentterms,asBritain(1982) indicatesinthetitleofhisleadingstudy,thereisnosubstantive contradictionintheapparentlyoxymoronicjuxtapositionoftJ!ewords FabianismandCulture.Asthosewhoreadthetextsthemselvesdiscover, BeatriceWebb'ssociologyinMyApprenticeshipisbothculturaland romantic,whilecertainunpublisheddocumentsinthePassfieldPapers makeitclearthatevenSidneyWebb'smotivationtoreformwasinthe firstplacereligious,ratherthaninstrumentaloradministrativeinnature (Webbn.d.).