The Bristol Socialist Society was a political organisation in South West England

South West England

South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...

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The group originated in 1885 as a local affiliate of the Social Democratic Federation

Social Democratic Federation

The Social Democratic Federation was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on June 7, 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury and Eleanor Marx. However, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's long-term...

. However, in 1886, it instead affiliated to the Socialist Union

Socialist Union (UK)

The Socialist Union was a British political party active from February 1886 to 1888.The group was formed by socialists around C. L. Fitzgerald who left the Social Democratic Federation in protest at SDF leader H. M. Hyndman's acceptance of money which Maltman Barry had obtained from the...

. When that group disbanded, it continued an independent existence until at least 1914.

The society initially enjoyed a high level of success, holding weekly public meetings and a wide variety of other propaganda events. Its members included Katherine St John Conway, Dan Irving

Dan Irving

David Daniel Irving, known as Dan Irving was a British socialist activist and Labour Party Member of Parliament....

, Enid Stacy, John Gregory

John Gregory (politician)

John Albert Gregory was a Canadian politician, serving in municipal, provincial and federal governments. He was born in Exeter, Ontario and became a businessman and school principal by career...

, Ernest Bevin

Ernest Bevin

Ernest Bevin was a British trade union leader and Labour politician. He served as general secretary of the powerful Transport and General Workers' Union from 1922 to 1945, as Minister of Labour in the war-time coalition government, and as Foreign Secretary in the post-war Labour Government.-Early...

, Samuel George Hobson

Samuel George Hobson

Samuel George Hobson, often known as S. G. Hobson , was a major theorist of guild socialism.Born in Bessbrook, County Armagh, Hobson was given a Quaker education in Saffron Walden and then Sidcot, Somerset...

, James Ramsay MacDonald and even Ben Tillett

Ben Tillett

Benjamin Tillett was a British socialist, trade union leader and politician. He was born in Bristol and began his working life as a sailor, before travelling to London and taking up work as a docker....

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