“The Remaking of Man” ---- The Social Reform Proposals of Sidney and Beatrice Webb

Abstract

Sidney and Beatrice Webb have contributed significantly to the development of British socialism. Their influence could be found in various aspects, directly and indirectly alike, in the United Kingdom today. The Webbs provided proposals to reform society into a socialist one, by the “remaking of man”. They advocated their ideas in their writings and their activities. This thesis seeks to investigate their ideas via their writings and practice. It looks into four aspects, viz. public health, education, religion and public assistance. The Webbs argued that the administration of health should be unified in the central government. They also believed that the promotion of living environment contributed to the improvement of public health. Education has long been the area that has attracted the most scholarly attention. The Webbs believed that everyone should have equal opportunity for education and that everyone should be educated as much as possible. Based on such physical wellness, Sidney and Beatrice also cared about the mental welfare of people. However, they thought of religion as personal affair rather than public policy. Religion should not be an underlying fact in the policy making, which was reflected in their thoughts on Judaism. Besides such focus on these areas, public assistance from outside is also helpful for the better life. This thesis evaluates the relations between the individual, civil society and the state. The Webbs believed in a balanced relationship between them. Described as statist, they had more confidence in the governmental actions than liberalists of the time.