Fabian Society
| Formation | 4 January 1884 |
|---|---|
| Legal status | Unincorporated membership association |
| Purpose | "To promote greater equality of power, wealth and opportunity; the value of collective action and public service; an accountable, tolerant and active democracy; citizenship, liberty and human rights; sustainable development; and multilateral international cooperation" |
| Headquarters | London, England |
| Membership | 8,000 |
Official language | English |
General Secretary | Joe Dromey, son of Jack |
Chair | The Baroness Hyde of Bemerton |
Vice-Chairs | Luke John Davies |
Treasurer | Paul Richards |
Main organ | Executive Committee |
| Subsidiaries | Young Fabians, Fabian Women's Network, Scottish Fabians, around 60 local Fabian Societies |
| Affiliations | Labour Party, Foundation for European Progressive Studies |
| Website | fabians |
The Fabian Society (/ˈfeɪbiən/) is a British socialist organisation whose purpose is to advance the principles of social democracy and democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist effort in democracies, rather than by revolutionary overthrow. It is related to radicalism, a left-wing liberal tradition.
As one of the founding organisations of the Labour Representation Committee in 1900, and as an important influence upon the Labour Party which grew from it, the Fabian Society has strongly influenced British politics. Members of the Fabian Society have included political leaders from other countries, such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Lee Kuan Yew, who adopted Fabian principles as part of their own political ideologies. The Fabian Society founded the London School of Economics in 1895.
Today, the society functions primarily as a think tank and is one of twenty socialist societies affiliated with the Labour Party. Similar societies exist in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Italy.