In the first half of the nineteenth century, the pitiful conditions found in the slums, mines, and factories of the Industrial Revolution gave rise to another ideology for change known as socialism. Early socialism was largely the product of political theorists or intellectuals who wanted to introduce equality into social conditions and believed that human cooperation was superior to the competition that characterized early industrial capitalism.
The utopian socialists were against private property and the competitive spirit of early industrial capitalism. By eliminating these things and creating new systems of social organization, they thought that a better environment for humanity could be achieved. Early socialists proposed a variety of ways to accomplish this task.
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Charles Fourier proposed the creation of small model communities called phalansteries. Read "The Phalanstery" to get a description of his ideal community.
What were some of the elements that made up these communities?
Robert Owen was another early socialist. He owned and operated New Lanark mills, but he strove to make the factory town into a thriving, healthy community. Explore this website to learn about Owen's innovations at New Lanark. (Make sure you look at all the links and read the primary sources in the column on the right.)
What were some of the ways that Owen changed the way the mill was run in terms of discipline, education, gardening, and religion?
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