ence Fabianism
has not adopted the somewhat cold attitude of the pure Socialist Party
to Trade Unions, but has rather found in their gradual conquest of
better wages and better conditions for the workers the line of social
advance congenial with its own principles. Again, it has preached that
the society which is to exert control must be democratic, if the control
is to be, as it must be, self-control: it has taught that such
democratic self-control must primarily be exerted in democratic local
self-government: it has emphasised the need of reconciling democratic
control with expert guidance. While it has never advocated 'direct
action' or the avoidance of political activity, while on the contrary,
it has advocated the conquest of social reforms on the fields of
parliamentary and municipal government, it has not defended the State as
it is, but has rather urged the need for a State which is based on
democracy tempered by respect for the 'expert.' In this way Socialism of
the Fabian type has made representative democracy its creed. It has
adopted the sound position that democracy flourishes in that form of
state in which people freely produce, thanks to an equality of
educational opportunity, and freely choose, thanks to a wide and active
suffrage, their own members for their guidance, and, since they have
freely produced and chosen them, give them freely and fully the honour
of their trust. And thus Socialists like Mr. Sidney Webb and Mr. Ramsay
Macdonald have not coquetted with primary democracy, which has always
had a magnetic attraction for Socialists. The doctrine that the people
itself governs directly through obedient agents--the doctrine of mandate
and plebiscite, of referendum and initiative--is not the doctrine of
the best English Socialism." Mr. Barker next explains that behind these
ideas lies "an organic theory of society," that society is regarded as
"an organic unity with a real 'general will' of its own," and after
stating that "the development of Liberalism, during the last few years,
shows considerable traces of Fabian influence," concludes the subject
with the words "Collectivism of the Fabian order was the dominant form
of Socialism in England till within the last three of four years." Of
the movement of Guild Socialists and others which he deems to have
replaced it I shall speak later.

I have ventured to quote from Mr. Barker at some length because his
summary of Fabian doctrine seems to me (with th