Fabian Society
Preserved but no longer current.
An association of socialists founded in January, 1884, by a small group of "intellectuals," which included George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and Sidney Webb (1859-1947) among others. As an- nounced in its prospectus, it aims at "the reorganization of society by the emanci- pation of land and industrial capital from individual and class ownership and the vesting of them in the community for the general benefit" . . .
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Fabian Society” mean?
An association of socialists founded in January, 1884, by a small group of "intellectuals," which included George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) and Sidney Webb (1859-1947) among others. As an- nounced in its prospectus, it aims at "the reorganization of society by the emanci- pation of land and industrial capital from individual and class ownership and the vesting of them in the community for the general benefit" . . .
Is “Fabian Society” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.