HG Wells was a prominent Fabian who believed that significant changes to society needed to be made in order for it to survive. Fabians believed in introducing socialist ideas alibeit gradually. Socialism as we understand it today was a relatively new concept at the end of the 19th century. In Britain the first Socialist ‘party’ was formed in 1883 and advocated a restructuring society along socialist principles.
HG Wells became frustated with limited change in Britain. Aristocratic domination didn’t really weaken until after World War I. HG Wells, like many were frustrated by the huge chasm between the rich and poor. He wrote the novel in 1898.
He was trying to make several points with War of the Worlds. The one that struck me the most was that it a criticism of the imperial conquests of Britain at a time when I said above huge numbers in the UK were starving in industrial slums in the UK. At the same time British forces were destroying indgenous peoples sthroughout the globe and the one example cited is of British troops massacring Tasmanians. He wrote the novel on the eve of the Boer War and HG Wells was criticing the arrogance of so called civilising nations who destroyed innocent civilains at a time when the state in Britain was failing the urban poor. He was trying to highlight the arrogance of the British state, how the empire could be humbled so quickly admittedly not by bacteria! But by the ignorance and arrogance of the ruling elites. By 1906 The Fabians had been absorbed into the Labour Party and unfortunately HG Wells ‘warning’ hasn’t been heeded. THere is still a huge rich/poor divide. Arrogant superpwoers who show no regard for the welfare of peoples in the countries that we’ve invaded and even though the aristicracy no longer has a hold on the country’s affairs. We are being led and governed by a political elite who seemingly don’t give a shit!
What a ramble. Apologies for punctuation and syntax, I’m watching Planes with my two young boys!
Matt Lewis
Next morning a crowd gathered on the Common