Question

Describe the view of Robert Owen and Louis Blank about socialism.

Answer 1

The concept of cooperatives, developed by some European Socialists, were enterprises owned by associations of people where goods were produced collectively by members and the returns were shared equitably i.e. according to the work done by the members. New Harmony is a cooperative community established by the British socialist thinker Robert Owen (1771-1858) in Indiana (USA) in the 19th century. 

Few other socialists believed that such cooperative initiatives on a large scale only with effective contribution and encouragement from the Government. Louis Blanc (1813-1882) was one such who believed that the government should encourage the establishment of such cooperatives and as a result eend capitalist enterprises.