Beatrice Webb: biography of this British sociologist and activist

Beatrice Webb (1858-1943) was an English economist and sociologist who fought for various social and educational reforms. In addition, she did extensive research on political and economic institutions.

In this article we will see a short biography of Beatrice Webb and we will know how her childhood was, what she studied, and the importance and repercussion that her social activism and her works have had.

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Beatrice Webb Bio: Who Was This Activist And Thinker?

Beatrice Webb (1858-1943) Born January 2, 1858, at Standish House, near Gloucester, located in the southwest of England. She came into the world in the midst of the Industrial Revolution, and was the eighth daughter of a wealthy Liverpool industrial and rail businessman named Richard Potter. Her mother was a woman brought up in the utilitarian tradition, Lawrencia Heyworth, who died when Beatrice was 24 years old, in 1882.

Beatrice was an influential economist and sociologist. She worked alongside her husband, Sidney Webb. The work of both extends to the figure of more than 100 books and articles. She also produced parliamentary reports (for example the “Minority Report”); this type of report would be a key piece for the Welfare State in Europe after the Second World War.

On the other hand, This English economist had great faith in cooperativism, she formulated social reforms and elaborated a series of proposals that promoted this welfare state. At the end of 1905, Beatriz was appointed member of the Royal Commission on the Laws of the Poor and Relief.

Childhood and adolescence

Early in her childhood, Beatrice Webb was not noted for her dedication to schooling. Even her mother thought her intelligence was below average. On the other hand, her childhood and adolescence were marked by the presence of some psychosomatic disorders, depression and neuralgia. These episodes disappeared to reappear sometime in adulthood.

As a result of these disorders, Beatriz sought help in religion, studying this doctrine, and writing a journal. She also began to take her studies more seriously. However, and largely due to her delicate health, Beatriz she never received a “normal” formal education, as she was always quite self-taught. She learned mainly thanks to the large library that her father had, where she read books on philosophy, science and mathematics.

On the other hand, some authors who especially influenced him were Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencer.

Her work in economics

Beatrice, with her husband, she created and tutored the London School of Economics and Political Science. The aim of the school was to educate critical economists, who would bring benefits for the whole country, and not just for the rich.

This school had an important role in the development and consolidation of Economics as an independent discipline. It is currently a public university in London, specializing in the social sciences.

Her work in politics

Both Beatrice Webb and her husband combined her political activity with her intellectual tasks. The repercussion in the political and economic sphere that Beatrice had is remarkable, since she also, she also together with Sidney, she had influence in the creation of the British Labor Party, a party that became very powerful. More specifically, the Labor Party emerged thanks to the Fabian Society. This fact helped lay the foundations of democratic socialism, still present today.

Furthermore, on a social level, as we have seen, Beatrice Webb was an activist and revolutionary; she played an important role in the dismantling of the old Poor Law and in its replacement by the new social insurance systems.

Fabian society

The Fabian Society It was a major British socialist movement, and both Beatrice and Sidney were linked to it, being leaders of her throughout her life.

The Fabians were a group of socialists who believed that socialism would come through a progressive evolution where the Little by little, the State would have an increasing role in the economy, with the aim of avoiding the abuses of the capitalists. bourgeois.

Construction site

Beatrice Webb's work encompassed different fields, especially economics, but also the of social sciences, politics, law (or laws) and sociological research applied.

Some of the most remarkable works of Beatrice Webb They were:

• Cooperative Movement in Great Britain, 1891.
• Wages of Men and Women: Should they be equal?, 1919.
• My Apprenticeship, 1926.
• Our Partnership, 1948.

Autobiography

The most remarkable events of Beatrice's life on a professional and personal level can be found in two autobiographical works: My Apprenticeship (1926) and Our Partnership (1948).

But her legacy and her story can also be found in her works, some already mentioned, and in her publications, many of them developed with her husband Sidney. Another legacy Beatrice left behind were her diaries, which she wrote for practically her entire life, and which were also published.

The end of his life

The last works of Beatrice Webb were: Soviet communism: a new civilization? (1935) and The truth about the Soviet Union (1942), expressing the great admiration that both Beatrice and Sidney felt for Soviet achievements.

Beatrice webb she died in 1943 in Liphook (Hampshire, England), at the age of 85. Four years later, in 1947, her husband, Sidney, passed away. The two were buried in Westminster Abbey.

Bibliographic references:

• Ramos Gorostiza, J. (2003). Beatrice Webb and her influence as an economist. Contributions to the Economy.
• Simey, T. (2004). Sidney and Beatrice Webb's contribution to sociology. Sociology of work, 50: 35-38.
• Webb, B. (1948). Our Partnership. Green and Co., UCM: Bca. Economic and Business.
• Webb, B. (1891). The Co-operative Movement in Great Britain. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co.