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Beatrice Webb biography
Beatrice Potter Webb was an English sociologist, economist, and social historian born in Gloucestershire in 1858. She first became involved in social issues as a voluntary rent collector in 1883. This experience led her to participate in a "Life and Work of the People in London" survey. She wrote articles like 'The Nineteenth Century, which dealt with life on the docks of London's East End.
In 1890, she met her husband, Sidney Webb, with whom she went on to publish many pro-socialist works. They had a long-lasting partnership. For example, they wrote A Constitution for the Socialist Commonwealth of Great Britain (1920) and The Death of Capitalist Civilisation (1923) together
At the end of 1905, Beatrice Webb was appointed to the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws from 1906 to 1909. Webb was the lead author of this commission's Minority Report, which played an important role in dismantling the old Poor Laws and replacing them with the new social insurance systems.
The British Poor Laws were systematic regulations to help the poor, based on collecting taxes for the construction and maintenance of poorhouses where they would be taught to work. These laws began in the late Middle Ages, and the system ceased to exist after World War II.
After 1910, she abandoned the non-partisan stance, and during 1914, she and her husband became a significant force in building the Labour Party.
Webb, along with her husband, was an early and influential member of the Fabian Society. This socialist movement aimed to achieve socialism in Britain through gradual and slow reforms and therefore is a Social Democracy based organisation. The Fabian Society is a predecessor of the modern British Labour Party. Beatrice Webb also was one of the founders of the London School of Economics, which is today one of the most prestigious universities on the planet.
After the disappointing end of her husband Sidney's political career, Beatrice Webb lived in the Soviet Union in 1932 for two years. She was amazed by the country and the radical transformations that were taking place. The same year, she was the first woman to be elected a Fellow of the British Academy.
The Webbs spent the next three years writing their famous book, Soviet Communism: A New Civilisation? (1935). The curious thing about this work is that they seemed to lose their belief in gradual social and political progress. Beatrice Potter Webb died in 1943 in Liphook, Hampshire.
The book Soviet Communism: A New Civilisation? was widely criticised as not being critical enough of some of the human rights abuses and other issues within the Soviet Union. Further, much of the statistics and facts came from the Soviet Union itself.
Beatrice Webb: views and quotes on Socialism
Beatrice Webb argued that the combination of forces between workers and communities would gradually achieve a socialist system through democratic elections.
This view differs from the traditional Marxist-Leninist approach, which states that the only way to create a socialist system is through revolution. Webb was a vital member of the Fabian Society, a part of the early democratic socialist movement.
Fabian Society: A British democratic socialist organisation that believes in advancing the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist efforts in democracies rather than by revolutionary overthrow.
She was a key proponent of a gradualist approach to political change that is associated with Social Democracy today. Beatrice Webb and her husband also believed in a paternalistic form of socialism. That relied on using those of higher classes, rejecting the idea that the working class should be leading the movement with their party.
The gradualist approach means the action of reaching a desired end or objective through gradual stages or a process that involves steps one by one until all of them are accomplished to reach the goal.
Paternalism is when the state or other individual limits the freedom of a person or group to justify protecting their welfare.
Many of her views were rooted in elitism. She believed that socialist ideas should be spread and led by those of a higher social class. We can see this attitude in one of her more famous quotes:
Nature still obstinately refuses to co-operate by making the rich people innately superior to the poor people.1
Elitism refers to when power is concentrated under the control of a very few people, usually a privileged, favoured group or those characterised by something particular, such as being part of a high social class or having great expertise in a subject.
She rejected direct democracy as she believed that the average person was too ‘self-interested’ and uninformed and therefore favoured a representative democracy so that the more educated would continue to lead the way in politics.
Beatrice Webb's collective bargaining
Beatrice Webb coined the term "collective bargaining" in 1891to describe the negotiation process between the employers' representatives and the employees' representatives to set the terms and conditions of employment. It describes the type of bargaining that has occurred since the formalisation of trade unions in the 18th century.
Beatrice is regarded as the founder of industrial relations in Britain.
This scheme was presented as an alternative to individual negotiations and individual contracts. The idea of collective bargaining agreements did not arise to replace individual contracts, but rather that whatever was negotiated and agreed collectively was adhered to in the respective agreements of each employee.
Trade unions or labour unions are the association of employees in a particular field or company, which defend and protect workers' rights and specific benefits and ensure good working conditions through collective bargaining agreements.
Webb proposed a representative bargaining process, where compromises are reached between employers' representatives and workers' representatives. In Webb's description of this term, she highlights the relevance of collective action by employees in formalising group agreements.
Webb argued that collective bargaining is the most advanced form of creating a collective voice or representative voice, which generates a set of collaborative processes, conditions and rights that are embodied in in-laws.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights currently recognises, in Article 23, the right to collectively bargain. The International Labour Organization also considers "freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining" as a fundamental worker's right. In addition, several international conventions protect this concept to prevent the exploitation of workers.
Beatrice Webb’s work in the Labour Party
Before joining the British Labour Party, Beatrice Webb was going through a difficult time due to the poor success of one of the projects she led, The Minority Report, published by the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress.
The Royal Commission on the Poor Laws and Relief of Distress 1905-1909 investigated ways of changing the Poor Law system to better care for the poor.
However, in 1914 Beatrice Webb became a member of the Labour Party and, along with her husband, wrote the original Clause 4 of the Labour Party constitution. They saw the Labour Party as the political alternative needed for socialists and their visions to have an impact.
Beatrice Webb's most significant contribution to the Labour Party was her view of democratic, reformist socialism: She aimed to overthrow capitalism through the vote. Thus, a socialist country would gradually change from a free market economy to a nationalised one, and there would be shared ownership.
However, it should note that the key to the Labour Party was the ideas of the Minority Report, which significantly influenced the development of the welfare state after the war. So, in the end, the Minority Report did have an impact. Later, it achieved its goals by being an influence to review statutes and change systems.
However, after 1931, at the end of her husband's parliamentary career, Beatrice left the party, disillusioned with its leadership and vision.
Books by Beatrice Webb
Beatrice has an enormous body of books and writings. However, her bibliography is divided into two sections:
1. Books she wrote by herself;
2. Books she wrote with her husband.
The following table gives a brief bibliography of some of her most influential writing.
Beatrice Webb Books | Beatrice and Sidney Webb Books |
The Co-operative Movement in Great Britain (1891) | History of Trade Unionism (1894) |
Women and the Factory Acts (1896) | Industrial Democracy (1897) |
Royal Commission on the Poor Laws: The Minority report (Poor law) | The Webbs' Australian Diary (1898) |
The Abolition of the Poor Law (1918) | Bibliography of road making and maintenance in Great Britain (1906) |
Wages of Men and Women: Should they be Equal? (1919) | English Local Government Vol. I-X (1906 through 1929) |
My Apprenticeship (1926) | The Manor and the Borough (1908) |
A new Reform Bill (1931) | The Break-Up of the Poor Law (1909) |
Our Partnership by Beatrice Webb (1948) | English Poor-Law Policy (1910) |
| The Cooperative Movement (1914) |
| Works Manager Today (1917) |
| The Consumer's Cooperative Movement (1921) |
| Methods of Social Study (1932) |
| The Truth About Soviet Russia (1942). |
Table 1 – Beatrice Webb's brief bibliography.
Among her works, we highlight some that we do not place on the table because they are her most recognised books, which are based on socialism:
A Constitution for the Socialist Commonwealth of Great Britain (1920): This book reflected the views and ideas of Beatrice and Sidney Webb for a socialist Great Britain.
The Decline of Capitalist Civilisation (1923): This work states the contradictions regarding the capitalist system that Beatrice and Sidney Webb saw in the early 20th century.
Soviet Communism: A New Civilisation? (1935): This book details the social and economic transformations that were taking place in the Soviet Union in the early 20th century.
Beatrice Webb - Key takeaways
- Beatrice Webb was an English sociologist, economist, and social historian.
- Webb was a vital member of the Fabian Society and a crucial thinker of the early democratic socialist movement.
- Collective bargaining was ]an important concept that Webb developed.
- One of Beatrice Webb's most important contributions to the Labour Party were her democratic, reformist socialism and her input into the Party's constitution.
- Beatrice has an enormous body of influential books and writings, many of which were written with her husband.
References
- Beatrice Webb, The Decay of Capitalist Civilisation, 1923.
- Fig. 1 – Bertha Newcombe Beatrice Webb (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Bertha_Newcombe_Beatrice_Webb.jpg) by Bertha Newcombe (http://www.photohistory-sussex.co.uk/Hastings_Newcombe.htm) licensed by CC-PD-Mark, PD-US (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bertha_Newcombe_Beatrice_Webb.jpg)
- Fig. 2 – Labour Party Wordmark (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Labour_Party_Wordmark.svg) by Labour Party (https://labour.org.uk/) licensed by PD (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Labour_Party_Wordmark.svg).
- Table 1 – Beatrice Webb's brief bibliography.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Beatrice Webb
Who is Beatrice Webb?
Beatrice Webb was an English socialists, economist, sociologist, and social historian.
In which country was Beatrice Webb born?
Beatrice was born in The United Kingdom, in the city of Gloucestershire.
What are the works of Beatrice Webb?
Beatrice Webb has written several books, by herself and with her partner, but some of her more important works are:
- A Constitution for the Socialist Commonwealth of Great Britain (1920).
- The Decline of Capitalist Civilisation (1923).
- Soviet Communism: A New Civilisation? (1935).
What is Beatrice Webb's collective bargaining?
This term was coined by Beatrice in 1891 and refers to a process of representative bargaining between employers' representatives and employees' representatives.
What is Sidney and Beatrice Webb's book Industrial Democracy about?
This work written by Webb is about trade unions, collective bargaining, and how trade unions organise to achieve those agreements and negotiations.
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