The Fabian Society was founded in Britain in 1884, as a progressive movement characterised by a commitment to social justice, and increased equality in society. Many notable left-wing thinkers wrote tracts published by the Society, on topics relating to child labour, women’s suffrage, old age pension (1897), and working conditions; as well as encouraging democratic socialism and change through local government and trade unionism. Fabian pamphlets first proposed a national health service (1911), minimum wage (1906), and the Society is credited with helping to establish the modern welfare state. Its members played a role in the formation of the British Labour Party in 1900; and were also involved in the creation of The New Statesman, and the London School of Economics, founded initially as a “research institute to provide proof positive of the collectivist ideal.”