Soviet Communism: A New Civilisation?

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July 14, 2026

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Soviet Communism: A New Civilisation? was a book written by Sidney and Beatrice Webb, English socialist economists and reformers. After becoming disillusioned with Labour prospects in Britain, they visited the Soviet Union and were impressed by what they found. In this 1935 work, they appeared to shift from their previous belief in gradual social and political evolution, presenting a more positive view of the Soviet system. The Webbs were influential figures in British socialism, cofounding the London School of Economics and Political Science and being early members of the Fabian Society.12

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Sidney and Beatrice Webb
Association with the Labour Party.
…writing their last big book, Soviet Communism: A New Civilisation? (1935), in which they seemed to abandon their belief in gradual social and political evolution. In 1928 they had already retired to their Hampshire home where they both died, Beatrice in 1943 and Sidney in 1947.
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…writing their last big book, Soviet Communism: A New Civilisation? (1935), in which they seemed to abandon their belief in gradual social and political evolution. In 1928 they had already retired to their Hampshire home where they both died, Beatrice in 1943 and Sidney in 1947.
Read More