Fabian Society

History of the Fabian Society

The Fabian Society was founded in 1884 as a socialist society committed to gradual social reform. It is named after Quintus Fabius, a Roman General known for delaying battle until the right moment. Early members of the Fabian Society included George Bernard Shaw, Emmeline Pankhurst and H G Wells.

The Society is characterised by a passionate commitment to social justice and a belief in the progressive improvement of society. It aims to spark debate rather than promote a particular political stance and as a result holds a diversity of opinion. Its' publications represent the views of their authors rather than the views of the Fabian Society as a whole.

In 1909 the Fabian Society joined with the trade unions to create the Labour Party and has been linked to the party ever since. The Society has influenced the party since its creation and has been involved in the Party's 1918 Constitution; the creation of the modern welfare state; the proposed creation of the NHS in 1911. When Labour won its landslide victory in 1945 so many Fabians were elected (over 220) that the Parliamentary Labour Party was said to 'look just like an enormous Fabian school'.Since the 1997 general election there have been around 200 Fabian MPs in the Commons, amongst whom number nearly the entire Cabinet, including Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Robin Cook, Jack Straw, David Blunkett and Clare Short.