The Rainbow Circle was a political group consisting of
Liberals,
Fabians and
socialists
Socialism is an economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes the economic, political, and socia ...
who first began to meet in 1893 in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
to consider if it was possible to resolve the relationship between the various progressive forces they represented to advance the cause of political, industrial and social reform in a consistent and coherent programme. In 1894, they were meeting regularly at the Rainbow Tavern in
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...
from which the group took its name. However, in 1896, it moved its gatherings to a member's house in
Bloomsbury Square
Bloomsbury Square is a garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, London. Developed in the late 17th century, it was initially known as Southampton Square and was one of the earliest London squares. By the early 19th century, Be ...
but retained the name Rainbow Circle.
According to one source, the group continued to meet until 1931. but the archives at the British Library of Political and Economic Science indicate there are papers going as late as 1966. The circle's heyday, however was the early years, before the formation of the
Labour Representation Committee in 1900 and that organisation's journey to become the
Labour Party.
Amongst the leading figures in the group were
Charles Trevelyan,
Herbert Samuel,
J. A. HobsonJames Hobson – Liberal Thinkers – Liberalism
and Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...
.
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rainbow Circle
Political advocacy groups in England
Organizations established in 1893