Fabian Society, the
Fabian Society, the,a society founded in 1884 consisting of socialists who advocate a ‘Fabian’ policy, as opposed to immediate revolutionary action, and named after Quintus Fabius Maximus , nicknamed Cunctator or ‘the Delayer’ (see below). One of its instigators was Thomas Davidson ( 1840 – 1900 ), the illegitimate son of a Scottish shepherd, a charismatic figure with many disciples who was also responsible for founding in 1883 the Fellowship of the New Life, a body which at first attracted some of the same membership, although its aims were mystical and philosophical rather than political. The Fabians aimed to influence government and affect policy by permeation rather than by direct power, and to provide the research and analysis to support their own views and introduce them to others. One of their methods was the publishing of tracts, or pamphleteering : the first two Fabian tracts were Why Are the Many Poor? ( 1884...
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