Fabian Freeway High Road to Socialism in the U.S.A [Hardcover]

Before I believe a source, I check into their history. So it is with the Fabian Society.

Organized in 1884, founding members included the daughter of Karl Marx - the father of communism and its sibling offshoots. Obscure history (by that I mean facts you have to dig and hunt for) has been a hobby of mine for about 20 years. I find the truth to be stranger than fiction, and the long trail of the Fabian Society (and its successful policy of "penetrate and permeate") is truly incredible. Like a seed, an idea well planted will grow on its own after a bit of nurturing. So it is with Fabian Socialism. They have shaped so much of the way the world is, and few realize it.

One recent fact: The Fabian Society acquired - and sealed - the archives of Eric Blair (better known as "1984" author George Orwell) when his wife died some years ago. Orwell became disenchanted with the Fabian Society and it is now thought his book was really aimed at the kind of world he believed the Fabian Society would achieve.

As one source put it "A careful review of the literary evidence reveals that he was aiming at the period immediately following the year 2000 but wanted to memorialize the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Fabian Society." -AND- "I once inquired through a literary agent who was a friend of Sonia Orwell, the writer's second wife, whether 1984 might be a satirical polemic directed at the Fabians. She giggled nervously and remarked that perhaps that was right. And the Fabian Society once more has catapulted itself into the picture because, upon the death of Sonia Orwell, rights to George's estate fell under control of -- the Fabian Society. According to representatives of HarperCollins, the Fabians will be in control of the 1984 copyright and name through the year 2025 and will do their best to block unauthorized investigative research about Orwell's anti-socialist works." -AND- "The Fabian logo was the turtle, not the hare. Fabians believed they could be successful in taking over national governments incrementally even if it took 100 years. So why wouldn't Orwell take them at their word?"

This is just the tip of the iceberg, but you'll have to dig up the rest for yourself. My best sources were old books. Sometimes it would be tidbits, like one interesting sentence I found in "A History of the United States" published in 1959 by Alfred Knopf Publishing. Under the section "The Progressive Movements" there is this:
"Young Eleanor Roosevelt, already active in the Social Justice Movement, while on her honeymoon in 1905 took her husband to lunch with two prominent Fabians, Sidney and Beatrice Webb."
Fact is, the Webb's were the main backbone of the Fabian Society from its beginning. So here we have an early socialist influence on an American president before he came to office. Tell me, where will you find that interesting item in today's history?

Sometimes it would be full books, like "Fabian Freeway" by Rose Martin - a former Fabian. This is the book that got me started, and it is an awesome place to start. Sometimes I find it hard to accept some of her allegations, but she was a member and knows the inside facts...

So, if you ever wonder "How did we get here", do the research. You'll be glad you did.

› Go to Amazon.com to see the review  5.0 out of 5 stars