Why did Sidney Webb write Facts for Socialists in 1887?

Sidney Webb wrote Facts for Socialists in 1887 to provide a factual foundation for the Fabian Society’s advocacy of socialism.1

At the time, George Bernard Shaw encouraged Webb to join the society, believing that Webb’s extensive knowledge of facts would be instrumental in supporting the organization's goals. The work reflected the core Fabian belief that a thorough understanding of the realities of industrial society was the essential first step toward achieving meaningful social reform. By grounding their arguments in empirical data, the Fabians aimed to promote their vision of a democratic socialist state through evolutionary change rather than revolution.12