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GRAHAM W ALLAS and the GREAT SOCIETY by the Same Author

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GRAHAM W ALLAS and the GREAT SOCIETY by the Same Author GRAHAM W ALLAS AND THE GREAT SOCIETY By the same author Propaganda and Psychological Warfare The Election Process in Canada GRAHAM WALLAS AND THE GREAT SOCIETY Terence H. Qualter Prifessor of Political Science University if Waterloo Waterloo, Ontario PALGRA VE MACMILLAN © Terence H. Qualter I g8o Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1980 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission First published 1g8o by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD London and Basingstoke Companies and representatives throughout the world British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Qualter, Terence H Graham Wallas and the Great Society I . W alias, Graham I. Title 320'.oi ISBN 978-1-349-04925-7 ISBN 978-1-349-04923-3 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-04923-3 To Shirley Contents Priface lX From Classical Scholar to Political Scientist 2 Fabian Socialism 25 3 Education for a New World 47 4 The New Science of Politics 77 5 The Great Society and the Good Society 103 6 The Reconstruction of Society 125 7 In Defence of Liberty 154 Notes 173 Bibliography 186 Index 195 vii Preface I was first attracted to Graham Wallas as a graduate student at the London School of Economics some twenty-five years ago. My interest at that time was in the nature of propaganda, and specifically its role in a democratic society. Wallas' studies of the psychology of human social behaviour, as expressed in Human Nature in Politics, The Great Society, and Our Social Heritage, were obviously of critical importance in such a study, and his reflections on the manipulation of public opinion contributed significantly to the dissertation that was eventually completed. At that time I made a mental note that a serious book on the work of Graham Wallas was long overdue and I began to consider it as a project to be undertaken some time in the future. It was an idea, never completely abandoned, but regularly set aside in favour of other activities. Finally a sabbatical leave due in 1973/4 seemed to force the issue. Either the Wallas book would be written then, or not at all. From about 1971 I began to think about what such a book might be and to tell my colleagues that I would spend my next sabbatical writing 'the first book on Graham Wallas'. Unfortunately, it was also in 1971 that Martin]. Wiener published Between Two Worlds: The Political Thought if Graham Wallas. Now, if I was to do anything at all, it would be the second book on Graham Wallas. Obviously Wiener's book changed much, and for a time it seemed unwise to proceed. I saw no point in trying simply to attack or refute Wiener's approach- even if such a criticism could have been substantiated. I had no quarrel with Wiener. His book was very much the kind of book I might have wanted to write had I started a few years earlier. Then I realised that, although I did not disagree with Wiener's interpretation ofWallas, his style was not my style. I wanted to stress different things, and to shift the emphasis. My view of the significance of certain events in Wallas' life clearly differed from Wiener's. ix X PREFACE Like Martin Wiener, I wanted to produce a reasonably short and readable book. And because ofhis efforts, I was able to leave certain things unsaid, or covered in a brief reference. For the same reason, I was then able to give more attention to Wallas' secondary writings (his articles and book reviews), which are important for a full understanding of his work, but which Wiener could not possibly have covered within the limits he set himself. I could see my book becoming, not a rival to Wiener's work, but a complement to it. It seemed appropriate to proceed. This decision became even more justifiable as the work got under way. It was not just coincidence that led to the appearance of Wiener's work just as mine was starting. It became one of my conclusions that the present condition of the world, the increasing scepticism about the virtues of unchecked industrial expansion, a growing awareness that 'more' is not necessarily the same as 'better', and a growing concern for the 'quality of life', all make Wallas' preoccupation with the turning of the Great Society into the Good Society, more than ever relevant. He speaks more to our own age than to the world of the preceding three or four decades. And even in the professional world of the political scientist, there seems to be emerging a new awareness that while empirical and quantitative studies are essential, empiricism and quantification which con­ sciously seek to be 'value-free' may, in fact, foster values contrary to the nobler traditions of our society. There is, perhaps, a revived realisation that one of the purposes of empirical study is to provide a firmer intellectual, historical, psychological basis for the values we hold important, and that an empiricism which tries to disregard values is either futile or sterile. All this is, of course, very much the case that Wallas had tried to argue. There seems now an audience, not just for two books on Graham Wallas, but for several, and perhaps a reissue of his major original works. As always, a great many people assist in the production of an academic book. Through a Leave Fellowship, the Canada Council provided the initial financial support that made it possible. Professor Anthony Barker, as Chairman of the Department of Political Science, provided me with office space at the University of Essex. Mr C. G. Allen, Keeper ofManuscripts at the British Library of Political Science, aided in access to the Wallas Papers. Professor H. R. G. Greaves, who was my graduate tutor, and who introduced me to Wallas' work, provided a good deal of advice and encourage­ ment. And my colleagues at the University of Waterloo helped by PREFACE Xl reading and commenting on bits and pieces of the manuscript in the various stages of this production. My grateful thanks to all of these. The author and publishers wish to thank the following who have kindly given permission for the use of copyright material: Allen & Unwin Ltd for the extracts from Property Under Socialism from Fabian Essays in Socialism by Bernard Shaw, Our Social Heritage and Life of Francis Place by Graham Wallas, and Men and Ideas by May Wallas; British Library of Political and Economic Science for the extracts from unpublished material in the Wallas papers; Cambridge University Press for the extract from Fabian Socialism and English Politics ( I966) by A.M. McBriar;Jonathan Cape Ltd and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc for the extracts from The Art of Thought by Graham Wallas, copyright© I926 by the publishers, renewed I954 by May Graham Wallas; Constable & Co Ltd and Prentice-Hall Inc for the extracts from Human Nature in Politics by Graham Wallas, USA copyright© I92 I, renewed I949; The Contemporary Review for the extracts from the issue dated March I 926; Fabian Society for Graham Wallas' letter of resignation published in Fabian News, February I904, reproduced by permission also of the Principal and Fellows ofNewnham College, Cambridge; The New Republic Inc for the extracts from New Republic,June I9I6; The London School of Economics and Political Science for the extract from The History of the Foundation of the London School of Economics and Political Science by Sir Sydney Caine, published on their behalf by G. Bell & Sons Ltd, and for the extracts from Our Partnerships by Beatrice Webb; Oxford University Press for the extract from Between Two Worlds: The Political Thought of Graham Wallas (I 97 I) by Martin]. Wiener; Lord Robbins for the extract from a letter to Graham W alias; and The Statesman and Nation Publishing Company Ltd for extracts from early issues of Nation, Nation and Athenaeum, and New Statesman and Nation. T.H.Q. .
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