The terms socialism and communism were once meshabley used together.
However, today the term communism indicates theories and movements that advocate
the abolition of capitalism and all individual profit, by means of vicious revolution if
necessary. Such a view was held by the founders of the Fabian Society, which was
organized in 1884 by British social reformers Beatrice and Sidney Webb and the people
they are associated with. In 1893, the Fabians helped the British Independent Labour
party. In the U.S. a socialist party was being formed and was founded in 1877. This
party, although it was still very small, became shattered in the 1890's.
When World War l began, new European socialist leaders supported their
respective governments. In Great Britain and in the United States the socialists didn't.
The Left Wing labeled the war as an imperialist struggle and urged the workers of the
world to convert the war into a proletarian revolution or to turn it into a class war. This
war led to the fall of the Second International, which was never again important.
Although there was a fall in the Second International, socialists made visible
advances in the years after the war and during World War ll. Lacking parliamentary
majorities the Labour party in Great Britain was in power for ten months in 1924 and
again from 1929-1931. However the Labour party in New Zealand was doing better and
During the 1920's and the 30's socialist and communist parties were in a
continuous battle of conflict. Socialist thought of Communists as traitors of their own
countries and and agents of the Soviet Union.Also during these times, Fascist regimes
in Germany and in Italy caused both Socialists and Communists to develop new
tactics. There were attempts made in several countries to unite all working class
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