in the past, the apparent basic division in the socialist movement was between those who accepted the evolutionary path, and those who advocated revolution, usually associated with a measure of violence. I use the word apparent, because, beneath the surface, the two concepts of a socialist society were similar, both the evolu-because underneath, the concepts of a future socialist society were similar, both the evolutionists and revolutionists advocating a society organised from the top down, with an elite as the centre of political direction.
The methods of achieving the new society may have been different; the result was the same. This is underlined by the enthusiasm with which the Webbs greeted the Soviet system after a visit to the Soviet Union. For many years after my break with Stalinist thinking, I was confused by the enthusiasm of the Webbs, until I realised that what the Webbs saw was an embodiment of their élitist ideas.