20세기 초 영국 보수당내 급진파와 사회주의의 연관성에 대한 재고 -정치적 담론으로서의 사회주의*- (Rethinking the Relationship between the Radical Conservatives and Socialism in the Early 20th Century: Socialism as a Political Discourse)

서지정보

· 발행기관 : 한국서양사학회
· 수록지 정보 : 서양사론 / 92호 / 127 ~ 152페이지
· 저자명 : 김상수

초록

This paper deals with the relationship between the Radical Conservatives and socialism in the early 20th century. Some historians have argued that the Radical Conservatives played an important role in spreading socialistic ideas in the Conservative Party in this period. In their eyes, this led the leaders of the party to take more positive attitudes towards socialism when they had to prepare social reform programmes to compete with the Liberal version of social reform.
These historians, however, do not pay attention to the fact that the term ‘socialism’ in this period had a rather different meaning from that which we are familiar with today. Various languages of socialism began to appear in major newspapers and periodicals in the 1880s, when socialists like SDF, ILP, and the Fabians began their political activity. The press, however, were not so interested in the activities of these socialists as in the activities of the Liberal Party. Conservative political publications, in particular, criticised the Liberals for pursuing ‘socialistic’ aims such as state-controlled social reform and levying heavy taxes on the rich.
The most significant discovery in this research is that the Conservatives changed their attitudes towards socialism around 1910, when the Conservatives were defeated by the Liberals in the two general elections. By scrutinizing the political meanings of various languages of socialism at this juncture, this paper has reached the conclusion that such a change resulted from the attempt by the Radical Conservatives to appeal to the constituency by proposing a Conservative version of state-controlled social reform. While the Conservatives, including their Radical section, criticised any kind of state-controlled social reform as ‘socialistic’ before 1910, now they started to argue that the Conservatives were more able to implement genuine socialistic ideas, namely ‘collectivism’. Consequently, this paper suggests that in order to understand better why some Conservatives in Britain in the early 20th century seemed to be positive about socialism, historians need to regard socialism in the case as a political discourse rather than as a political idea or movement.

영어초록

This paper deals with the relationship between the Radical Conservatives and socialism in the early 20th century. Some historians have argued that the Radical Conservatives played an important role in spreading socialistic ideas in the Conservative Party in this period. In their eyes, this led the leaders of the party to take more positive attitudes towards socialism when they had to prepare social reform programmes to compete with the Liberal version of social reform.
These historians, however, do not pay attention to the fact that the term ‘socialism’ in this period had a rather different meaning from that which we are familiar with today. Various languages of socialism began to appear in major newspapers and periodicals in the 1880s, when socialists like SDF, ILP, and the Fabians began their political activity. The press, however, were not so interested in the activities of these socialists as in the activities of the Liberal Party. Conservative political publications, in particular, criticised the Liberals for pursuing ‘socialistic’ aims such as state-controlled social reform and levying heavy taxes on the rich.
The most significant discovery in this research is that the Conservatives changed their attitudes towards socialism around 1910, when the Conservatives were defeated by the Liberals in the two general elections. By scrutinizing the political meanings of various languages of socialism at this juncture, this paper has reached the conclusion that such a change resulted from the attempt by the Radical Conservatives to appeal to the constituency by proposing a Conservative version of state-controlled social reform. While the Conservatives, including their Radical section, criticised any kind of state-controlled social reform as ‘socialistic’ before 1910, now they started to argue that the Conservatives were more able to implement genuine socialistic ideas, namely ‘collectivism’. Consequently, this paper suggests that in order to understand better why some Conservatives in Britain in the early 20th century seemed to be positive about socialism, historians need to regard socialism in the case as a political discourse rather than as a political idea or movement.

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