Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

In 1825 British utopian socialist Robert Owen announced, “I am come to this country [the United States] to introduce an entire new system of society; to change it from an ignorant, selfish system to an enlightened social system.” While these words seem unlikely to come from a wealthy Welsh industrialist, few individuals are so closely associated with early socialist experimentation than Owen. Born to a family of modest means during the revolutionary turmoil of the 1770s, Owen quickly moved up through the economic ranks of industrial Manchester. After acquiring the New Lanark Mills in the early 1800s, Owen began construction of a model industrial town for the express purpose of bettering the poor and working classes. Growing up during the Age of Democratic Revolution and being an active participant in the English Industrial Revolution clearly left an impression on Owen. Manchester was a lively city full of liberal debate and Owen was intrigued by classical liberalism and, in particular, the utilitarianism of Jeremy Bentham . As a factory manager and owner, Owen viewed the new industrial economy as pregnant with new social possibilities and as an arena for social experimentation. It was during this time that Owen solidified his belief that human vices were largely environmental and that the gulf between workers and elites could be closed through social planning. His first attempt ... log in or subscribe to read full text