In 1908 Annie Besant published a text called “The Future Socialism”. I’m not sure, but it is very likely that this text started its life as a speech given by Besant. Considering Besant’s life before becoming involved with the Theosophical Society (TS) it would be interesting to look at her view of Socialism while she was President of the TS. The full text can be found here.
She starts by asserting the increasing power of socialism in England and other European countries. As the title suggests, Besant wants to look at the future of socialism. Besant’s first observation is that socialism considers economy and the division of economic power essential for change. As politics alone can’t make a difference. However, according to Besant even politics and economics alone are not enough to change a nation. People are part of a nation and create it. So, in order to change the nation the men and women must be changed. Or, to put it in Besant’s words: ‘men and women are trained into a noble humanity.’
Besant’s first few paragraphs are thus a critique on socialism. Socialism doesn’t take the men and women into account. As a result ‘Socialism will inevitably fail’, Besant concludes. However, socialism is still a force to be reckoned with, as she believes that the economic conditions will change. Besant thinks that it is very likely that the changes demanded by socialism are realized in the future.
The conclusion is thus that socialism is very well part of the future, at least through it’s economic demands, but at the same time socialism is lacking something. According to Besant ‘by better economics we may change the outer conditions’, but as a Theosophist she sees man as more than just a body. It is the soul that is left wanting with socialism and it is the Soul that is the real nature of man. Socialism is lacking something, it lacks the idea to let men develop his inner powers, his Spirit. Change in the Soul coupled with economic change will make things better than today.
Next time – Besant’s ideas on a socialist avant-garde.
