Henry Pelling, ed. The Challenge of Socialism.

CONTENTS

Introduction

PART I

THE REPEATED CHALLENGE

1 – CRITICS OF PROPERTY

Thomas Spence. The Whole Rights of Man, 1775

William Godwin. Political Justice, 1793

Tom Paine. Agrarian Justice, 1797

Charles Hall. The Effects of Civilization on the People in European States, 1805

Thomas Evans. Christian Policy, the Salvation of the Empire, 1816

2 – THE CO-OPERATIVE IDEAL

Robert Owen. A New View of Society, 1813

Robert Owen. Report to the County of Lanark, 1821

Robert Owen. Letter to The Economist, 1821

Abram Combe. Metaphoric Sketches of the Old and New Systems, 1823

3 – ANTI-CAPITALIST ECONOMICS

The Source and Remedy of the National Difficulties, 1821

William Thompson. An Inquiry into the Principles of the Distribution of Wealth, 1824

John Gray. A Lecture on Human Happiness, 1825

Thomas Hodgskin. Labour Defended Against the Claims of Capital, 1825

J.F. Bray. Labour’s Wrongs and Labour’s Remedy, 1839

4 – EARLY TRADE UNION SOCIALISM

William Benbow. Grand National Holiday and Congress of the Productive Classes, 1832

United Trades Association of London. Address to the Trades Unions of Dublin, 1833

‘Senex.’ The Real Object of United Labour, 1834

5 – THE CHARTIST LEFT

Bronterre O’Brien. Letter to R. G. (Gammage), 1841

Society of Fraternal Democrats. Message to the Democratic Association of Brussels, 1847

National Reform League. Propositions for the Peaceful Regeneration of Society, 1850

G.J. Harney, Editorial in the Red Republican, 1850

Ernest Jones. Speech in a Debate on Co-operation, 1852

6 – THE CHRISTIAN SOCIALISTS

J.M. Ludlow. The Great Partnership, 1848

F.D. Maurice. Dialogue between Somebody {a person of respectability) and Nobody (the writer), 1850

Charles Kingsley. Cheap Clothes and Nasty, 1850

7 – MARX, ENGELS, AND THE BRITISH WORKING CLASS

Friedrich Engels. The Ten Hours’ Question, 1850

International Workingmen’s Association. Address, 1864

John Hales. The Reconstruction of Society, 1872

Friedrich Engels. A Fair Day’s Wage for a Fair Day’s Work, 1881

8 – CRITICS OF VICTORIAN SOCIETY

Thomas Carlyle. Past and Present, 1843

John Ruskin. Political Economy of Art, 1857

Frederic Harrison. The Political Function of the Working Classes, 1868

John Ruskin. To the Trades Unions of England, 1880

Edward Carpenter. Desirable Mansions, 1883

9 – SOCIAL-DEMOCRATIC FEDERATION

H.M. Hyndman. England for All: the Textbook of Democracy, 1881

Democratic Federation. Socialism Made Plain, 1883

H.H. Champion. Surplus Value: for Workers who are not Socialists, 1884

H.M. Hyndman. Debate with Henry George, St. James’s Hall, 1889

Belfort Bax. Men versus Classes, 1889

Harry Quelch. Socialism and Foreign Affairs, 1912

10 – SOCIALIST LEAGUE

Socialist League. Manifesto issued by the Provisional Council, 1885

Joseph Lane. An Anti-Statist, Communist Manifesto, 1887

William Morris. Letter to the Rev. George Bainton, 1888

William Morris. Communism, 1893

11 – FABIAN SOCIETY

Bernard Shaw. Speech at the Industrial Remuneration Conference, 1885

Bernard Shaw. Review of the English Translation of Marx’s Capital, vol. I, 1887

Sidney Webb. The Progress of Socialism, 1888

Annie Besant. Speech on Socialism versus Individualism, in a Debate with Mr. Frederick Miller of the Liberty and Property Defence League, Nottingham, 1890

Fabian Society. Report on Fabian Policy, 1896

Fabian Society. Fabianism and the Empire, 1900

Sidney Webb. Twentieth Century Politics, 1901

12 – INDEPENDENT LABOUR PARTY

Independent Labour Party. Debate at the Inaugural Conference on the Object of the Party, 1893

“Elihu” (Samuel Washington). Milk and Postage Stamps, 1893

Robert Blatchford. Merrie England, 1894

Tom Mann. The Programme of the I.L.P. and the Unemployed, 1895

Keir Hardie. Speech at Pendlebury, 1898

F.W. Jowett. The Socialist and the City, 1907

Independent Labour Party. Manifesto on the War, 1914

13 – INDUSTRIAL UNIONISM AND SYNDICALISM

Platform of the Socialist Labour Party, 1905

Tom Mann. Forging the Weapon, 1910

Unofficial Reform Committee of the South Wales Miners Federation. The Miners’ Next Step, 1912

14 – GUILD SOCIALISM

A.J. Penty. The Restoration of the Gild System, 1906

The Bondage of Wagery: an Open Letter to the Trades Union Congress, 1913

G.D.H. Cole. Self-Government in Industry, 1917

R.H. Tawney. The Acquisitive Society, 1921

15 – COMMUNIST PARTY

Communist Party of Great Britain. Letter to the Secretary of the Labour Party, 1920

J.T.W. Newbold. Speech in Debate on the Failure of the Capitalist System, House of Commons, 1923

Harry Pollitt. Speech for the Defence, Trial for Seditious Libel and Incitement, Old Bailey, 1925

PART II

ASPECTS OF THE TRADITION

16 – SOCIAL EQUALITY

H.G. Wells. This Misery of Boots, 1907

Bernard Shaw. The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Socialism and Capitalism, 1928

R.H. Tawney. Equality, 1931

George Orwell. The English People, 1947

17 – FREEDOM AND SOCIAL POWER

Fred Henderson. The Case for Socialism, 1911

Bertrand Russell. Roads to Freedom, 1918

John Strachey. Theory and Practice of Socialism, 1936

C.R. Attlee. The Labour Party in Perspective, 1937

A.D. Lindsay. The Modern Democratic State, 1943

Kingsley Martin. Socialism and the Welfare State, 1951

18 – DEMOCRACY AND THE TRANSITION TO SOCIALISM

Ramsay Macdonald. Socialism and Society, 1905

H.N. Brailsford. Socialism for To-Day, 1925

Stafford Cripps. Problems of a Socialist Government, 1933

H.J. Laski. Parliamentary Government in England, 1938

E.F.M. Durbin. Politics of Democratic Socialism, 1940

Socialist Union. Socialism: a New Statement of Principles, 1952

19 – PUBLIC OWNERSHIP

Keir Hardie. Nationalisation of Mines Bill, 1893

R.B. Suthers. Common Objections to Socialism Answered, 1909

Sidney and Beatrice Webb. A Constitution for the Socialist Commonwealth of Great Britain, 1920

Debate on National Planning of Transport, Labour Party Conference, 1932

Labour Party. Let Us Face the Future, 1945

Keeping Left, by a Group of Members of Parliament, 1950

20 – SOCIALISM AND WELFARE

F.W. Jowett. Speech on Education (Provision of Meals) Bill, Second Reading, House of Commons, 1906

Philip Snowden. Speech in Debate on the King’s Speech, House of Commons, 1908

H.N. Brailsford, J.A. Hobson, A. Creech Jones, and E.F. Wise. The Living Wage, a Report to the I.L.P., 1926

Aneurin Bevan. Speech on moving the National Health Service Bill, Second Reading, House of Commons, 1946

21 – THE CASE FOR PLANNING

H.G. Wells. New Worlds for Old, 1908

George Lansbury. My England, 1934

G.D.H. Cole. The Simple Case for Socialism, 1935

C.R. Attlee. Letter to H. J. Laski, 1944

22 – SOCIALISM AND FOREIGN POLICY

J.A. Hobson. The Evolution of Modern Capitalism, 1906

Leonard Woolf. International Government, 1916

Labour Party and T.U.C. Memorandum on War Aims presented at a Special Conference, 1917

Hugh Dalton. Practical Socialism for Britain, 1935

George Lansbury. Speech moving a motion to call a World Peace Conference, House of Commons, 1936

Ernest Bevin. Speech to Labour Party Conference, 1945

R.H.S. Crossman. Towards a New Philosophy of Socialism, 1952

23 – SOCIALISM AND THE EMPIRE

Keir Hardie. Letter to Mr. Bankole Bright, 1906

Sydney Olivier. White Capital and Coloured Labour, 1906

Commonwealth of India Bill. Memorandum, 1925

Labour Party. Labour and the Nation, 1928

James Griffiths. Speech to the Labour Party and Fabian Colonial Bureau Conference, 1950

EPILOGUE

Bruce Glasier. The Meaning of Socialism, 1919

Some Books for Further Reading