Edwardian Politics: The Rise of Socialism

The Edwardian era marked significant transformation in British society, and political views in Britain became more diverse due to the rise of new Liberalism, trade unionism and socialism. Kenneth Morgan separates socialism from the other two movements by describing it during this time; “there was an emphasis upon collectivism, upon the positive and benevolent role of central government in combating social and economic evils such as poverty, slum housing, malnutrition and unemployment” (Morgan 93). Though socialism made its largest growth after the First World War, groups such as the Fabian Society, the Social Democratic Federation and the Independent Labour Party began to increase in numbers, and create a stronger presence in the Edwardian political scene. As P.G. Wodehouse alludes to in his novel Psmith in the City, socialism was only beginning to be discussed in public spheres, and the majority of people were critics during this time. Wodehouse’s character Mike represents this part of the population when he remarks that socialism is “a rum business” (Wodehouse 112). Many major politicians openly denounced socialism and attacked the idea saying that it would undermine capital and enterprise on which Britain’s wealth depended. Since Socialism faced many opponents during the Edwardian period its supporters were forced to utilize alternative methods of spreading their message. One of the most prominent means of spreading socialist ideas was through publications such as The Clarion, and later, the Daily Herald. The main tribulations facing the rise of socialism during this time were the inconstancies among the different socialist groups, as the three major forms had various internal problems. Of the groups the Independent Labour Party had the greatest political impact, and influence over the socialist message at the time.
The Independent Labour Party’s success during the Edwardian period can be partly attributed to the extraordinary leaders that it produced. Men such as Ramsay MacDonald, Keir Hardie and Philip Snowden were noted to be the leading figures in gaining converts to socialism during the Edwardian period. All three individuals published works about the socialist movements, and were said to be able to inveigle entire crowds of people with their charismatic speeches. Of these men Ramsay MacDonald stood out as the most influential leader of Edwardian socialism. He was recognized for his quasi-Darwinian vision of socialism, and he advocated a peaceful evolution which rejected the Marxist style of class war. MacDonald was also noted to attract young middle-class intellectuals to the Independent Labour Party, which had huge long term benefits for their cause. MacDonald was also acclaimed with the success of making socialism a practical reality in parts of London where municipalities took local ownership of water, tramways and other utilities. Internationally MacDonald was also known, as he and Hardie travelled widely to spread their message of a peace movement, which was to become even more popular after the horrific events of World War I. MacDonald’s main critics argued that he occasionally abandoned the ideals of socialism in order to collaborate with other political ideologies such as radical liberals on wider issues. Despite this criticism MacDonald was one of the leading figures in laying the foundations of socialism in Edwardian England. After the First World War socialism became one of the leading political ideologies, and men such as Ramsay MacDonald were credited with the success of making socialism recognizable as a reality rather than a utopian dogma.