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The British Social Democratic Federation 1880–1885

From O'Brienism to Marxism*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2008

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A number of Bronterre O'Brien's disciples were the leading lights of London clubs that provided the silent majority to the Social Democratic Federation (S.D.F.). Even after the O'Brienites came to accept the need for collective ownership of the means of production, their political strategy remained that of O'Brien. An understanding of the role played by the O'Brienites helps to explain various problems in the history of the S.D.F. such as why most members remained with Hyndman rather than follow Morris into the Socialist League and why the S.D.F. adopted an ambiguous attitude to trade unions and to palliatives.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis 1992

References

1 On Hyndman see Tsuzuki, C., H. M. Hyndman and British Socialism (Oxford, 1961)Google Scholar and Bevir, M., “H.M. Hyndman: A Rereading and a Reassessment”, History of Political Thought, XII (1991), pp. 125145.Google Scholar On Morris see Thompson, E.P., William Morris: From Romantic to Revolutionary (London, 1977).Google Scholar On the Fabians see Wolfe, W., From Radicalism to Socialism (New Haven, 1975).Google Scholar

2 For previous accounts of the S.D.F. see Lee, H. and Archbold, E., Social-Democracy in Britain (London, 1935);Google ScholarTsuzuki, , Hyndman, , and Wilkins, M., “The Non-Socialist Origins of England's First Important Socialist Organisation”, International Review of Social History, IV (1959). pp. 199207.Google Scholar

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10 Ibid., p. 122.

11 Ibid., p. 144.

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15 “Bronterre's Second Letter to the People of England”, Political Letters and Pamphlets, 12 02 1831.Google Scholar

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22 Ibid., p. 102.

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40 Kitz wrote an autobiography in Freedom 0107 1912. The reference is to Freedom. 02 1912.Google Scholar

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103 Tsuzuki, , Hyndman, pp. 6067.Google Scholar Also see Beer, M., A History of British Socialism, 2 vols (London, 1953), 2, p. 253.Google Scholar

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105 The signatories were, John Burns, Burrows, Champion, Robert Frost, Mrs. Hicks, Hyndman, J. Murray, Quelch, and Williams.

106 Justice, 11 04 1885. The “old programme” was that cited above since the S.D.F. had adopted a new programme based on that of the anarchistic Labour Emancipation League.Google Scholar

107 See Collins, , “Marxism”; Thompson, , Morris, p. 336;Google ScholarTorr, D., Tom Mann (London, 1956), p. 213,Google Scholar and Tsuzuki, , Hyndman, pp. 5556.Google Scholar

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113 See Barrow, L., “The Socialism of Robert Blatchford and the Clarion Newspaper 1889–1918” (Ph.D. thesis, London, 1975),Google Scholar and Thompson, L., Robert Blatchford (London, 1951).Google Scholar For Blatchford's beliefs see Blatchford, R., Merrie England (London, 1894),Google Scholar and Blatchford, R., Britain for the British (London, 1902).Google Scholar