Marx was also instrumental in establishing socialism as a political force in Europe. The International Workingmen's Association took its origins for a conference of laborers at the London International Exhibition of 1862. It was organized at London two years later and its principles were drawn up by Marx and adopted at the Geneva conference two years afterward. A German wing started by Wil liam Liebknecht in 1864 and, under his leader ship and that of August Bebel, it was developed into the Democratic Workingmen's Association at Eisenach in 1869. In the meantime a Ger man General Workingmen's Association had been organized and its program enunciated by Lasalle in 1863. These two groups coalesced at Gotha in 1875 and created the German Social Demociatic party. Persecuted by Bismarck from 1878 to 1890 they grew in power until they commanded 110 out of 397 votes in the Reich stag of the old empire and have now captured in a seemingly permanent manner the German government.
The beginnings of the modern French political organization of labor dates back to 1878. Two years later French Marxianism was originated under the leadership of Jules Guesde. But the French socialists for a long time were unable to arrive at the same unity that char acterized the party in Germany. Numerous sects developed and there grew up much bitter feeling, particularly between the Marxians, led by Guesde, and the Revisionists or Opportunists led by Jean Jaures, the ablest figure in the his tory of modern socialism. An effort to unite these factions failed in 1899, but met with more success in 1905, and the United Socialist party was able to elect 102 out of 602 members of the Chamber of Deputies in 1914, besides 18 mem bers of the allied Independent Socialist party.
The Socialist party organization has made rapid progress in a number of the other chief European countries, notably Austria. Italy and Russia and has reached remarkable strength in some of the lesser states, particularly Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Belgium. In part, this has been the result of the increased strength of the proletariat and, in part, the effect of a moderation of socialistic proposals which has attracted many liberals who refuse to accept Marxian postulates.
5. The English Fabians and the Growth of ((Revisionist)) Socialism.— In spite of the significance of Marxian socialism in attracting a sufficient following to make it a political and economic movement of the greatest importance, it possessed certain obvious theoretical diffi culties which embarrassed its more thoughtful supporters and gave its enemies a vulnerable point of attack. These weaknesses were chiefly the untenable labor theory of value and the deductions from it, and the refusal of the Marxians to co-operate with existing capital istic governments in securing remedial legisla tion for the proletariat. A program of re form which was not to begin until after a re mote and complete social revolution had been achieved was much less attractive than o.ie which would accept partial amelioration on the road to complete triumph.
This situation was first adequately compre hended by a group of English radicals known as the Fabian Society. They organized out of a general sympathy with socialistic propositions which had been brought before them, in part, by English followers of Marx, like William Morris and H. M. Hyndman, and, in part, by two American radicals, Henry George and Thomas Davidson. The most important mem bers of this group were Sidney Webb, Graham Wallas, Bernard Shaw, Chiozza Money, Ed ward Pease, H. G. Wells and Stewart Head
lam. They derived their name from the Roman leader, Fabius, and their resolution to delay their final convictions until the socialistic movement had developed further. They relied chiefly upon the hope of arousing an intellectual i movement in favor of radical social reform and their great significance lies in the fact that they repudiated the fatalism of Marx and came out for °opportunism," or remedial social legislation through the agency of the existing political organization. They made socialism an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary move ment. They were also less enamored with the internationalism of Marx and laid greater stress upon national progress in social reform.
While the Fabians originated the tenets of °Revisionism" the spread of this movement was due more to the agitation of a German socialist savant, Edouard Bernstein (1850-). Bern stein lived in England during the period of the socialist persecution in Germany and was con verted to the ideas of the Fabians. Returning to Germany in the early °nineties" he began the dissemination of his new convictions and in his work on (Evolutionary Socialism' he system atized his principles, which were chiefly a de nial of the Marxian economics, especially the labor theory of value, a declaration for °op portunism') or piece-meal remedial social legis lation, a willingness to co-operate with existing governments and more concessions to the prin ciples of nationalism and patriotism than the Marxians would allow. In other words, he aimed at the practical transformation of social ism from a proletarian party of revolution into a party of radical social reform which could attract the support of non-Marxian liberals. While he was not able to capture the German Socialist party until after the death of Bebel and the elder Liebknecht, the Marxians now constitute a hopeless minority among German socialists and many of the Revisionists have even passed Bernstein in the degree to which they have modified the Marxian doctrine and program. The general history of socialism in every important modern state has been much like that of German socialism; Marxianism has served as the entering propaganda and the growth of the movement has led to the domina tion of Revisionism. Only in Russia, where socialism did not have long enough a period of development to allow the triumph of ((oppor tunism," have the Marxians remained in the majority. The leading Revisionist Socialists have been Jaures in France, Emile Vandervelde in Belgium, Filippo Turati in Italy and Peter Struve and M. Tugan-Baranovsky in Russia. The intellectual leaders of socialism in the United States have also generally capitulated to Revisionism, though the majority of the party clings to Marxian principles. Thus, as socialism has increased in strength it has de veloped moderation. This has been due, in to the greater validity and practicality of Revisionism and, in part, to the very growth of socialist power for, as Professor Orth has well put it, °ambition brings power, power brings re sponsibility, responsibility sobers the Socialism has in this manner been purged of the nightmare of revolution, except in Russia, and while it is undoubtedly increasing in strength almost everywhere it can no longer frighten any person except the one who opposes the very principle of progress.