Dhaka International University (DIU)

Department of Sociology

SOC-503: Marxist Sociology

Lecture 2: European Utopian Socialist Tradition

Introduction to, Origin and History of Utopian Socialism:

In 1515, Thomas More conceptualized an atheistic and communist republic in his novel,
‘Utopia.’ Utopia has come to denote a vision of an ideal and flawless society. The etymology of
this word which literally translates to a place that doesn’t exist, is representative of an idealistic
stream of thought, something utopian socialists platformed in the early 19th century.

• Utopian Socialism, although not an established and homogenous school of thought, refers to
the ideas of Welsh manufacturer and social reformer Robert Owen and French philosophers
Henri de Saint-Simon and Charles Fourier. A reaction to the prevailing economic system
which prioritized private interests at the expense of the working class, Utopian socialism
denoted the belief that society can and must voluntarily transition away from capitalism into a
society run by co-operation and harmony.
• The thinkers identified as utopian socialist did not use the term utopian to refer to their ideas.
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels were the first thinkers to refer to them as utopian, referring to
all socialist ideas that simply presented a vision and distant goal of an ethically just society as
utopian.
• This distinction was made clear in Engels' work Socialism: Utopian and Scientific (1892, part
of an earlier publication, the Anti-Dühring from 1878). Utopian socialists were seen as wanting
to expand the principles of the French revolution in order to create a more rational society.
Despite being labeled as utopian by later socialists, their aims were not always utopian and
their values often included rigid support for the scientific method and the creation of a society
based upon scientific understanding.
• The French and Industrial Revolutions which they had witnessed, produced a breakdown of
traditional values and community bonds, causing individual detachment from work. Thinkers
like Fourier noticed society was becoming increasingly hostile, fragmented and individualistic.
Utopian socialism thus emerged as an idea in response to this detachment, what Marx later
called ‘Alienation.’ Utopian Socialists attributed societal evil to Egoism which followers of
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Department of Sociology

Saint-Simon called, “the deepest wound of modern society.” These notions and
observations helped cement anti-capitalist thought and set the foundation for the development
of modern socialist doctrines.
• Utopian socialists failed to provide articulate critical analyses for the social conditions they
disagreed with, but their ideals and aims are clear. Fourier, Saint-Simon, and Owen sought to
set up communities which were ruled by principles of justice, benevolence, and cooperation.
•

Characteristic features of Utopian Socialism

Ethical Reform- The utopia that these socialists aimed to create were ethnically homogenous
communities based on values of harmony, association and co-operation. The ideas proposed by
Utopian socialists were ethical in nature, as opposed to scientific or even economic. These thinkers
strongly believed that a clear conscience and good morals could transcend class warfare and allow
owners and workers to live and work communally.

Voluntary transformations- Utopian socialists came of age in an era characterized by optimistic

perspectives, hope and a romantic faith in unbounded progress. Social perfectibility, can thus be
found at the crux of all their theories. They believed in peaceful transformations of society and
that Industrialists/ capitalists would voluntarily reconfigure the system and share it with the
working class.

Science + Religion: A striking feature of Utopian Socialist thought was that, although these
thinkers presented their work as the articulation of a truly objective understanding of the laws of
human nature and industrial society, they also seemed to adopt a religious tone. These laws of
human nature were also the laws of God and hence, their utopian science became an articulation
of true religion. This allowed them to blend both science and religion, prophecy and sociology

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Department of Sociology

Utopian socialist Experiments

Every Utopian Socialist managed to construct his utopia on a small scale. Some of these
experiments include:

Saint Simon

The first Utopian Socialist experiment was carried out by the Saint-Simonians.

• These followers regarded Henri de Saint Simon as a prophet of this new world in which science
and co-operation could create material change and propel the moral regeneration of humanity.
• In 1825, soon after his death, his followers started journals and organized lecture tours
designed to elaborate and spread his ideas.
• By 1830 they had created a new religion that aimed at utilizing the productive forces of the
emerging industrial society, to alleviate the ills imposed on the poor and consequently fill what
they perceived to be as a religious and moral vacuum of their era. These societies were made
illegal in France in 1830 but still sustained its influence worldwide till 1848, boasting more
than 40,000 adherents.
• According to Keith Taylor, in his book ‘Political Ideas of the Utopian Socialists’: the saint
Simonian movement was experiencing internal turmoil over moral and religious questions.
• The rejection of Christianity and desire to create a new religion with new moral and social
codes including a more liberal approach towards sexual relations and marriage, did not reflect
mass opinion. He adds that towards the end of the 1830’s the movement began to tilt towards
authoritarianism with Prosper Enfantin declaring himself ‘Supreme Father’, banishing
‘heretics and advocating a ‘rehabilitation of the flesh’

Robert Owen:

Robert Owen established seven communities in Britain between 1825 and 1847 and one in New
Harmony, Indiana which was arguably the most successful. A cooperative society, this community

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boasted the first kindergarten, the first trade school, the first free library, and the first community-
supported public school in the US.

• These societies comprised of between 500 and 1,500 people who would engage industrial and
agricultural production. In the early 1830’s, the ‘Owenites’ engaged in labor organization and
made a large effort to create a national federation of trade unions.
• The Owenites predominantly spent their time attempting to create working-class communities
in which property was collectively owned and socio-economic activity was organized in a
cooperative manner. These societies succeeded for much of the 19th century but not much is
known about exactly why they failed.

Charles Fourier

Charles Fourier posited that most of the problems he observed arose from the dislocation between
people’s passions and the manner in which society functioned. He believed that this conflict could
be resolved with the establishment of these so-called phalanxes, or communes. Between 1841 and
1859, about 28 phalanxes were established in the United States. The relative success of Fourier’s
experiments can be attributed to their small scale and anti-industrial outlook which provided refuge
to agricultural workers and craftsman who were anxious about their employment in their rapidly
industrializing society. Simultaneously, Fourier’s phalanxes were said to be badly led and
organized, with Fourier expecting the charity of benevolent capitalists to help operate his schemes.
As organization began to improve, the phalanxes began to inch towards being a religious
community centered around Fourier who was perceived as a messiah at this point. Keith Taylor
states that splits in the Fourierist leadership can also be credited with the movement’s failure in
France. These phalanxes in America however, began to thrive, they were considered to be
libertarian and anti-authoritarian in outlook. The movement was in effect, so liberal that the French
government tolerated it and allowed it to thrive without interruption, unlike the communities of
the Saint-Simonians.

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Etienne Cabet

Inspired by Thomas Mores utopia, Etienne Cabet wrote ‘Voyage to Icaria’ In 1839. Cabet’s Icaria
called for perfect equality and was highly democratic in terms of the popular participation it
entertained. This community attracted 100,000 to 200,000 thousand people, mainly working-class
folk such as artisans who were insecure about their employment as industrial societies began to
mechanize production. Icarian societies were established all over France, and one group set sail to
America in 1848, where one community persevered until the end of the 19th Century. Keith Taylor
mentions that Icarianism’s founding ideas lacked coherence, stating that these communities did
not survive increasing governmental persecution in the late 1840’s and that there were also failures
of leadership.’

Critique

• Utopian Socialism was arguably platformed by Engels who introduced this concept by
critiquing it in his 1880 book, ‘Socialism: Utopian and Scientific.’ Radical socialist thinkers
ascribed the label ‘utopian’ to refer to the naivete of the theory, calling it fanciful and
unrealistic. Making the case for socialism on moral grounds, several socialists dismissed the
work of these utopian thinkers, on the basis of its failure to acknowledge the class struggle,
liberation, and the analysis of actual material conditions.
• Due to the time in with these ideas were birthed, these theories were not able to critically
analyze nor comment on the liberation of all oppressed groups. Slavery was still legal when
Robert Owens established his utopian community in Indiana; the liberation of the working
class, for them, was not extended to black people in the neighboring farms. Several Saint-
Simonites were also in favor of the French colonization of North Africa, neglecting both
colonialism and imperialism from their analysis of poor social conditions caused by capitalism.
• Adopting an unrealistic and illusory approach, the optimism which streaks all utopian ideas
was criticized heavily by emerging socialist thinkers. Utopian socialists believed that members

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of the ruling class could easily reconcile social conditions and ease the transition into a utopia,
their theories neglect class struggle and actively advocate against seizing the means of
production through revolution. Nonetheless, modern Socialist discourse lying at the
intersection of idealistic and more pragmatic currents, appears so only because of the utopian
characteristic of early socialist thought. This ideology provided a loose framework for
revolutionary leaders and theorists to build off of, creating a comprehensive and elaborate
articulation of what Socialism truly means.

Bushra Islam

Lecturer of Sociology, DIU.