Rise of Socialism and Labor Movements in the 19th Century

Posted on Apr 12, 2025 in History

Socialism and the Labor Movement in the 19th Century

Utopian Socialism

Utopian socialists experimented with cooperative models to demonstrate the effectiveness of their proposals. They condemned the moral effects of capitalism but didn’t analyze its underlying causes. Key figures include:

  • Comte de Saint-Simon, advocate of state-directed planning.
  • Charles Fourier, creator of communal model (phalansteries).
  • Robert Owen, who laid the foundations of the cooperative movement.

Marxism

Developed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Marxism, outlined in the 1848 Communist Manifesto, became highly influential. Key tenets include:

  • History as a succession of class struggles, with socialism inevitably replacing capitalism.
  • Capitalism’s internal contradictions (e.g., workers not owning the fruits of their labor, low wages) leading to its self-destruction.
  • The need for worker-led revolutionary political action to seize control of the state.

Anarchism

Based on the thought of Joseph Pierre Proudhon and represented by Mikhail Bakunin and Peter Kropotkin, anarchism diverged from Marxism. Anarchists believed in:

  • Transforming society through federated communes outside state control, ultimately abolishing the state.
  • Rejecting political parties and favoring secret associations and free trade unions for social revolution.

The Formation of the Labor Movement

Workers’ protests took two forms: direct action and political action.

Direct Action: Strikes and Unions

Direct action included riots, threats against employers, machine destruction, and the formation of permanent worker associations and unions. This spread across Europe, with variations in each country:

  • Britain: Reformist unions gaining control of the reformist party.
  • Germany: Unions subject to state control.
  • France: Revolutionary, apolitical unions.
  • Spain: General Workers’ Union modeled on the German system, and a labor confederation inspired by the French model.

Political Action: Voting and Parties

While popular insurrection was common until the 1871 Paris Commune, the Chartist movement (1831-1848) aimed to improve workers’ conditions through universal suffrage and parliamentary action. Post-1871 saw the rise of worker-representing political parties, often Marxist, like the German Social Democrats.

International Workers’ Associations

The labor movement had international connections. Key organizations include:

  • The International Workingmen’s Association (First International), established in London in 1864, brought together worker organizations but split in 1872 due to disagreements between Marx and Bakunin over political action and the state’s role.
  • The Second International, formed in Paris in 1889 and led by the German SPD, condemned imperialism and war but ultimately failed to prevent World War I.