Fabian Socialism vs. Radical Liberalism

About this Collection

In the late 19th century the classical liberal, free market orthodoxy was beginning to be challenged by socialists like George Bernard Shaw, who put together a collection of essays in 1889 advocating greater intervention by the state in the economy. Unlike the Marxists, who desired revolutionary change, the “Fabian socialists” advocated incremental change through the parliamentary system. This volume provoked a reply by supporters of private property and laissez-faire economics led by Thomas Mackay.