Welcome to the homepage of the Fabian Society Online Archive.
"Why are the many poor?" is the title of the very first Fabian tract and its just one of around 580 such pamphlets which are now available on this site. In addition, some of the earliest Fabian Society minute books are also available online.
The Fabian Society started publishing tracts in 1884, and included in this site are most tracts up to 1997. Many of the early tracts were written by LSE founders George Bernard Shaw and Sidney Webb. Among the many other notable authors in the collection are:
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Clement Attlee
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Tony Benn
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Tony Blair
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Gordon Brown
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Edward Carpenter
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G D H Cole
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Robin Cook
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Tony Crosland
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R H S Crossman
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Denis Healey
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Harold Laski
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David Lipsey
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Kingsley Martin
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Peter Shore
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Chris Smith
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Richard Titmuss
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Peter Townsend
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Beatrice Webb
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Harold Wilson
See the index of authors| for a complete list
The tracts relate to a great variety of topics including:
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cultural matters
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economics
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electoral reform
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foreign policy (such as colonialism, the Cold War and relations with Europe)
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industrial relations
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the Labour Party
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local government
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politics (such as electoral and parliamentary reform)
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poverty
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social reform (such as education, health and pensions)
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socialism
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women's issues
To give a sense of this variety, here are some examples:
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Why are the many poor? (1884)
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An eight hours bill (1890)
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A plan of campaign for labour (with the text of the Fabian manifesto, "To your tents, O Israel" (1894)
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The Parish Councils Act: what it is and how to work it (1894)
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Socialism for millionaires, by George Bernard Shaw (1901)
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The Education Act 1902: how to make the best of it (1903)
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The case for a legal minimum wage (1908)
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The working life of women, by Miss B L Hutchins (1911)
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Family life on a pound a week, by Maud Pember Reeves (1914)
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The abolition of the poor law, by Beatrice Webb (1918)
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The problem of a second chamber, by Harold Laski (1925)
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What happened in 1931: a record, by Sidney Webb (1932)
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Dumbarton Oaks: a Fabian commentary (1944)
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Socialism and the welfare state, by Kingsley Martin (1951)
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Can Labour win?, by Anthony Crosland (1960)
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What future for the Falklands?, by Colin Phipps (1977)
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Why are the many poor?, by Peter Townsend (1984)
There are also biographies of well-known progressives:
The tracts and minute books are available in the form of pdf files and can be accessed by anyone.