Blackwell Reference Online

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Following the collapse of the Owenite communities, Arthur Brisbane became the new leader of the Utopian socialist movement. Influenced by the ideas of French Utopian socialist Charles Fourier, Brisbane's “phalanxes” prompted thousands to engage in social experimentation over the 1840s and 1850s. Brisbane's secular communities sought to solve the problems of civilization through communitarian organization. Brisbane's intellectual inspiration came from Fourier. Born in 1772 and maturing during the Age of Democratic Revolution, Fourier developed an interest in social experimentation and city planning. In 1808 he published his massive work, The Theory of Four Movements and of General Destinies , in which he criticized modern industrial civilization for its corrupt and exploitative practices. Fourier believed that a radical change was necessary to save humanity and that change would come through cooperative communities. Fourier argued for the creation of planned communities, or “phalanxes,” which would provide the economic and social basis for humanity's transformation. These phalanxes would be comprised of 1,620 people (twice the number of personality traits Fourier believed to exist) living in 4,000-acre compounds. These communities would include people with various skills; however, they would function on the basis of equality within the community. Women would enjoy equality with ... log in or subscribe to read full text