-The Red Crowns-
--An Imperial Tale--
---or---
-The Rise and Fall of Imperial Socialism-
Prologue: The Sowing of the Seeds
Excerpt from ImpSoc, AutoLib and NewTheo - The New Philosophies of the 20th Century
By Sir William Bragg Published 2004, Oxford University Press
By Sir William Bragg Published 2004, Oxford University Press
...of course, in 1879, traditional “Marxian” socialism was still highly dominant, it was not until Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham published his, now famous, treatise “The Worker’s Kingdom” that we can see the development of Imperial Socialism. Rejected at the time by Socialist and Traditional groups alike, it would nevertheless catch on among the people. C.G. had returned to the United Kingdom just over a year earlier, attending many Socialist rallies and, over the course of the year, would shape his own view of politics and he world. Merely nine moths before it's publication, C.G. began to codify his views into "Worker's Kingdom" but had no idea of it's potential impact. Cunninghame Graham’s initial philosophy can be boiled down into five key points:
-The maintenance of a Monarch (C.G. referred to this as the generic “Empress”) as head of state, for stability and as a remembrance of tradition. This was by far the most controversial aspect of the Philosophy but C.G. insisted that his Empress was crowned “By Will of the People” not “Grace of God”. C.G. did however state that regular referendums should be held to determine the future of the Monarchy.
-The maintenance of Democratic practice, to ensure that the government adhered to the will of the people. C.G. saw this as the only way to preserve true Socialism, disregarding the “Dictatorship of the Proletariat” but instead proposed a “Meritocracy of All”. Again a huge divergence, C.G. did not see Socialism as an ideology of the working class but one that would, in time, encompass all peoples.
-The establishment of a welfare state, so that the people may not fall into destitution. Again, less extreme than Marxian thought, people should be brought closer together, but through “the advancement of the low, not the purge of the high”
-The economic policy of “Market-Socialism”, often called State-Capitalism, which revolved around the idea of a Market economy, within which the Government was both a competitor and a regulator. Big Companies were to be opposed or dismantled but small business could be allowed.
-The people’s will must be represented as directly as possible, appointed government was unacceptable and the dominance of regions must be ended. This did not mean, however, that government should be limited. Quite the contrary, C.G. believed in big government over all alternatives, however he believed in self determinism and the Federalisation of Great Britain both in the homeland and beyond.
Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham - The Father of Modern Socialism
The immediate view of ImpSoc was that it was merely watered down Socialism, a bastardisation of Marxian politics, but it caught on well with British, particularly Scottish and Welsh, workers. The 1880 forming of the “Imperial Red Party” was the true beginning of the movement. Based on a promise of furthering the will expressed in the “Worker’s Kingdom” and presenting the first proposal of Imperial Federalisation. C.G. would garner huge immediate support from Socialists and Liberals and, despite his loss in 1881, C.G. would return in 1885 with his new, codified Philosophy and win his seat of North West Lanarkshire in something of a landslide. C.G.’s party was large for one so young, running twelve candidates across the country, four of whom would carry their seats, with his election to Parliament C.G. saw moderate defection to his cause. Five Scottish and seven English MP’s (Liberals and Independent Labour mostly) would defect to the new party in the run up to the 1886 elections, catapulting it to a position of importance in the House of Commons. This growth refused to slow in the 1892 elections, when the party carried 51 seats, many of them former Liberal heartlands and the rise of ImpSoc is believed to have been one of the leading causes of the Tory victory that year.
An Original Party Pin, Given to members in 1890
C.G.’s breakthrough, however, would truly come in 1893 when he was endorsed by one of the most powerful socialist institutions in the United Kingdom, The Fabian Society. Up until this point, the Fabians had been observing Union and Socialist groups, who had been bringing together various trade unions into one, “Labour Party”. However, the various groups involved struggled to reach a consensus and some within the Fabian Society believed that this Labour party would put too much power in the hands of the unions. Thus, with the emergent Red Party making good traction, the Society immediately fell in love. ImpSoc represented everything that the Fabians stood for; Socialism, Democracy, Reformism and (importantly) the maintenance of the British Empire and it’s use as a tool of progression and modernisation. The Fabians reached out to Cunninghame Graham, offering their support for his party and for the two groups to become officially associated associated. (Hence the common name of Fabians, referring to the party as a whole) With the Society, ImpSoc shot up in size and gained many notable members, including Ramsay MacDonald, HG Wells, George Bernard Shaw, Bertrand Russell and Emmeline Pankhurst; two of whom would go on to be Prime Minister. With the addition of the Fabians, Cunninghame Graham's party developed into an entirely new group, dubbed the “Federation of Imperial Socialists”. With many minor Socialist candidates and groups joining, the Fabians were now the third largest political party in the United Kingdom. The Party’s future was sure and now, as we entered into the 20th century, they were poised to leave their mark on Britain and the World.