Guild socialism and ideological diversity on the British left, 1914–1926

Abstract

Aabstract This paper examines the ideological content of the guild socialist movement that challenged mainstream socialism in Britain in the years surrounding World War One. It argues that detailed conceptual analysis of guild socialist texts reveals that despite the appearance of uniformity suggested by a single set of institutions and a single broad policy agenda there was not one guild socialist ideology but two. The paper then briefly outlines both movements. It presents the first guild socialist ideology, shaped primarily by Ramiro de Maeztu, as a variant of the organicism dominant in early 20th century progressive thought. It then describes the second guild school, led by G. D. H. Cole, as largely characterized by a return to a form of earlier liberal individualism. The paper further suggests that contemporary commentators were well aware of this pattern of dissent within the guild socialist organization and that renewed recognition of this argument offers an opportunity to reconsider the evolution of British socialist thought.