Utopian Socialism, Women’s Suffrage, and Labor Movements

Posted on Feb 2, 2025 in History

Utopian Socialism

Socialist doctrine is based on a proposed economic system of the first half of the nineteenth century that Marx called utopian. These thinkers envisioned an egalitarian society where there would be no exploitation of labor. This movement emerged in France during the First Industrial Revolution.

Key Figures in Utopian Socialism

  • Robert Owen: He did not want private ownership but advocated for a collectivist system. Influenced by the plight of the unemployed, he believed they were not inherently violent. He founded a socialist colony, which ultimately failed.
  • Charles Fourier: He advocated for a society organized into phalansteries, work units designed as cooperatives.
  • Comte de Saint-Simon (Claude Henri de Rouvroy): He believed that the world ought to progress through industrialization. He advocated for a society run by experts, a technocratic and undemocratic system.
  • Pierre-Joseph Proudhon: He advocated for a nonviolent revolution, believing that the state should disappear and be replaced by mutual workers themselves.

These thinkers sought to address the exploitation of labor and poor living conditions that arose from the Industrial Revolution. Their ideas echoed the sentiment, “To each according to his need.”

Rerum Novarum (1891)

This encyclical emphasized the following principles:

  • Respect for the dignity of the human person.
  • Wage labor does not degrade the worker.
  • Treating a worker like a mere object is an inhuman abuse.
  • A fair wage is essential.

Women’s Suffrage in Spain

  • The first law regarding women’s suffrage was presented in Spain in 1907 by Count Casas-Valencia.
  • Women’s suffrage, including the right to be candidates, was approved in 1927 by royal decree during the dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera.
  • This right was granted to women over 23 years of age who were unmarried.
  • In the first elections following this decree, thirteen women secured seats.
  • When the Second Republic arrived, the debate continued. Indalecio Prieto and Margarita Nelken proposed that women could be candidates but not voters. Minority parties like CEDA and Republican Action were in favor of broader suffrage.
  • In the Spanish Parliament, Victoria Kent opposed women’s suffrage, while Clara Campoamor championed it.
  • Women’s suffrage was put to a vote on October 1, 1931, and it passed by a majority.
  • Indalecio Prieto declared the law “a treacherous stab at the Republic.”

The First and Second Internationals

First International

  • Date: 1864
  • Location: London
  • Attendees: All left-wing parties and all unions
  • Main Features:
    • Approval of the statutes and the program.
    • Establishment as an instrument of struggle for workers.
    • The goal was social and political revolution.
    • Galvanizing action to achieve concrete improvements.

Second International

  • Date: 1889
  • Location: Paris
  • Attendees: Marxists
  • Main Features:
    • Strong interest in the ideological cohesion of unions and Marxist parties.
    • Pooling of tactics, experiences, and new theoretical principles.