Robert Owen's Experiment at New Lanark

Alex Lorrain-Hill
HUMA 3300
04/19/06
Revised Final Draft

Robert Owen 's Experiment at New Lanark

To determine whether or not Owen 's undertaking at New Lanark was successful we must first understand its ' purpose as well as its ' practicality and what results might qualify his experiment as being a success. Stemming from Owen 's view of the problems which plagued England 's economy and manufacturing industry, his ultimate goal was to create a model of a self-supporting community which could eventually be used to establish others like it all over the world. Owen believed it would be most efficient and prosperous for all people to conform to the same rules, thus creating a social equality among the labouring classes, which he believed would help eliminate the poverty and social distress that plagued England in the nineteenth century following the French Revolution. Not everyone was accepting of Owen 's plans for social reform but others like John Minter Morgan supported Owen 's ideas despite the fact that his anti-religious views conflicted with Morgan 's Christian values. The experiment at New Lanark prompted other communities based on Owen 's views to be established such as the "Edinburgh Practical Society" formed by Owenite Abram Combe, the "Orbiston Community" also formed by Combe and New Harmony in America which Owen himself established.("The Steam Engine of the New Moral World": Owenism and Education, Harrison,1817-1829) Unfortunately such communities eventually failed. It could be said that in the short term Owen 's experiment at New Lanark and others that followed were unsuccessful; however, "Owenism" did have more of a long term impact on society. Owen was successful in breaking ground for child labor laws, trade unionism, and the eventual improvement of manufacturing and economic conditions. Owen 's views on social reform prompted others who practiced "Owenism", although not in agreement with all of his beliefs, to explore their own views on the subject. William Thompson, who became a champion of women 's rights was a supporter of Owen and also Henry Hetherington who fought for, among other things, trade unions. While some did not agree with Owen 's ideas, there were numerous individuals who supported Owen 's views on social reform and were incited by his outspokenness on such views to explore their own theories. Owen 's experiment may not have induced the exact result that he had wished, but it no doubt had a positive effect on a society which might have continued to decline had Owen not stepped up to the plate. In that sense, New Lanark by itself was not a success, but from a sociological perspective, the movement which it provoked most certainly was.
First, it is important to discuss how Owen 's theories of social reform were initially received. While it seems that Owen likely would have been seen in a positive light, given his efforts to better a declining society, it is also important to discuss the manner, positive and negative, in which Owen 's proposals were initially received. Some viewed Owen as a hypocrite, citing that his theories on education contradict what he explained to be the reason behind his claim to be the only "rational being". During a speech, Owen offered that when laid up with an illness as a child he "….reflected, and read much, forming his own views, uncontrolled by the lessons of schools."(Times London, Oct. 4 1838, p.5 col A) Also, his anti-religion sentiment was not popular with most people and as a result, his views were often dismissed solely on that basis. While this aspect of Owen 's personality often garnered much criticism, there were also many who supported his ideas.
The success of Owen 's ideas cannot be defined by his experiment at New Lanark alone, or be accredited solely to Owen. After New Lanark, there were many more similar undertakings by other social reformists who supported Owen 's theories. John F. C. Harrison explains in " The Steam Engine of the New Moral World: Owenism and Education 1817-1829" how Owen started a movement which would prompt others to follow his lead. "A strong Scottish element attested the local influence of New Lanark:Archibald James Hamilton of Dalziel, Abram Combe of Edinburgh, and Captain Donald Macdonald. Second, a group of philanthropists(gentleman and businessman)of independent means, such as John Minter Morgan, William Thompson and John Gray, combined Owen 's views with their own schemes for social reform. And a third group, led by George Mudie and Henry Hetherington, constituted a working-class response among some London printers".(Harrison) Through these groups of men, Owen 's ideas spread throughout the country and even across the ocean to America. It is true that the numerous "New Lanark" style communities established in the years that followed, eventually folded; however, the fight for social reform did not end there.
John Minter Morgan was one of those who strongly supported Owen, despite some conflicts Morgan had with his anti-religious tone and Morgan rationalized his backing of Owen 's ideas stating, "If it is the part of a good Christian to decline the cooperation of a competent individual,(because he does not embrace our opinions), in forming political arrangements conducive to the happiness of mankind, and especially such arrangements as admit a perfect freedom of religious worship; then shall we be justified in dismissing Mr. Owen 's proposals. But if, on the contrary, by such conduct we not only prolong the sufferings of the wretched, but violate the spirit of that religion which says "Hast thou faith? Have it to thyself before God, we shall no longer hesitate temperately to examine the details of his plan; and having separated his religious or speculative opinions from that which is of practical utility, we shall avail ourselves of the benefit of knowledge derived from his long experience, without compromising the interests of Christianity". Morgan was able to put aside the parts of Owen 's plans that he did not agree with and realize that underneath Owen 's, what seemed to many, impractical proposal and realize the practicality in what Owen was trying to accomplish. As a member of the Church of England, Morgan would not likely have risked compromising his Christian faith by supporting Owen if he did not believe strongly in the potential of Owen 's goals. Owen 's goals were quite lofty, and he was in need of others to take his ideas and refine them. While New Lanark was not itself successful, an instance in which his ideas inspired others to act was the case with his fight against the Consolidated Trades Union of 1834. Owen sought to implement the eight hour workday as well as remove the roles of masters and factory owners, allowing the labourers to reap all of the profits for goods that they manufactured. As I mentioned earlier, these were quite lofty goals. Owen formed the "Society for the Promotion of National Regeneration" and threatened the Trades Union with a strike but was initially unsuccessful. Owen 's ideas must have opened the eyes of others because later in the year, two key artisan groups of the union left, thus collapsing it. W.H. Oliver said of the labourers whom Owen fought for, "The fact that one of the great men of the land took them seriously and treated them as responsible human beings was of inestimable importance to working people beginning a century of education."(Oliver) The eventual collapse of the "Consolidated Trades Union" was a perfect example of how Owen often inspired others to take his ideas and make them work. Oliver said of Owen 's character, "…he was an inspirer rather than a leader. He could never hold a movement together, but he could always found a new one. He never lacked followers."(Oliver 796) This manner in which Owen 's attempts at reform often spurred others into action can be examined from and supported by a sociological perspective.
The workings and interactions of a society are based on three theoretical paradigms( Structural Functional, Social Conflict, and Symbolic Interaction), the first two of which played an important role in Owen 's ideas for social reform. The "Structural Functional Paradigm" is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. This paradigm is reflected in Owen 's proposal for the self-supporting community in which each person fulfills a particular role so that the society can function as a whole. New Lanark is a perfect example of an attempt to guide society through this particular sociological theory. Owen 's experiment may have been flawed by trying to exercise total control over the functions of society, but this was only a starting point and others were prompted to improve upon his ideas. According to the "Social Conflict Paradigm", society is an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change. In accordance with this theory, Owen was prompted by the inequality which he believed was present among British society to seek change. This was similar to the way social pioneer W. E. B. DuBois was guided by the social-conflict paradigm to raise the standing of people of color. Morgan also realized this observing that, "Those who a few years since were unwilling to investigate the state of the poor, from an apprehension of rendering them more sensible of their grievances, or from despair of affording any permanent relief, are now the most forward in their endeavors to ameliorate their condition; convinced that unless some speedy correction of our political order is discovered, the destitute, as well as those who are supported in idleness, may be led astray by the sophistry of designing men."(Morgan) Based on this theory, Owen recognized great inequalities in British society and felt the need to implement a change.
It is important to discuss the state of England 's industrial society during the early nineteenth century and how it was in need of serious reform. Batchelor writes, "…a radical change was taking place in the distribution of England 's population: farm labourers were drifting away from economically depressed rural areas toward the cities in search of employment. As a consequence, cities were filled to capacity with masses of poorly trained workers, many of them unemployed. Crime increased at a phenomenal rate, as did pestilence and disease." Those unemployed workers, desperately in need of income, had no choice but to endure the hardships of working in the factories as a means to an end. Owen and his contemporaries sought to make changes in order to better the working conditions that were essentially forced upon these people. Owen helped pass the first Factory Act which placed a limit on the number of hours children over nine years of age could work and prohibited children under nine from working at all.(Batchelor, 1969) Francis Place, a London tailor who was active in securing the legality of "combinations", or unions as they are known today, successfully secured the repeal of the "Combinations Act" of 1800 and made it legally possible for workers to bargain collectively with their employers for better wages and working conditions.(Batchelor, 1969)
Owen 's quest for social reform also had a positive influence on the fight for women 's rights in England, and rightfully so; social equality and women 's equality are quite closely related in their principle. Also, included in Owen 's plan for social reform was his desire to improve the state of women 's rights. Barbara Taylor 's "The Men are as Bad as their Masters: Feminism, Socialism, and Sexual Antagonism in the London Tailoring Trade in the Early 1830 's" discusses Owen 's role and that of his supporters in aiding in feminist movements in the nineteenth century. "Rules drawn up for these communities promised women not only an equal place in all revolutionized social institutions, but also the intellectual and moral emancipation which such equality would make possible". (Taylor) Taylor also contends that it was specifically Owen 's theories that were a cornerstone in fostering the success of the feminism movement. "It was precisely because this was a movement committed to revolutionizing all aspects of social life-not only economic and political relations-that it was capable of nourishing existing feminist traditions, developing and transforming them into a wider radical vision". (Taylor) Another of Owen 's supporters, William Thompson, played an important role as one of the voices of the feminist movement in the nineteenth century. Taylor writes that, "The first important text of socialist-feminism, for example, was William Thompson and Anna Wheeler 's "Appeal of One-Half the Human Race" (1829)." Here again we see that it was not Owen himself, but rather those who were inspired by his ideas that helped to implement important changes in another area of the English industrial society.
Robert Owen 's ideas for social reform in nineteenth century England first saw the light of day as he undertook the experiment at New Lanark and continued to gain momentum in the years that followed. As I mentioned, New Lanark by itself nor similar communities that were established by his supporters were successful, at least not in the short term as Owen had hoped, but the important thing to remember is that Owen did not stop there. Despite a good deal of opposition, he continued to work towards eliminating the inequality and poor working conditions that he perceived as a hindrance to the healthy growth of a British industrial society. With the help of others like John Minter Morgan and William Thompson, Owenism found its way into various social arenas such as the trade unions and the fight for women 's rights. While it is true we cannot say that Owen alone was responsible for all of the changes in British society, there is no doubt that he was a catalyst for many of them. Guided by sociological ideals, Owen and his supporters were able to implement various forms of social reform whether directly or indirectly. Robert Owen may have lost some battles along the way, but ultimately he won the war.
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Bibliography

Harrison, John F. C., "The Steam Engine of the New Moral World": Owenism and Education, 1817-1829. The Journal of British Studies, Vol. 6, No. 2, (May, 1967), pp. 76-98.

Batchelor, Peter, "The Origin of the Garden City Concept of Urban Form". The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 28, No. 3, (Oct. 1969), pp. 184-200.

Taylor, Barbara, "The Men are as Bad as Their Masters…":Socialism, Feminism, and Sexual Antagonism in the London Tailoring Trade in the Early 1830 's, Feminist Studies, 5:1(1979:Spring), p. 7-40.

Morgan, John Minter, "Remarks on the Practicability of Mr. Robert Owen 's Plan to Improve the Condition of the Lower Classes". London, 1819.

Oliver, W. H., "The Consolidated Trades ' Union of 1834", The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 17, No. 1, (1964), pp. 77-95.

Times London. October 4, 1838. p. 5, col. A.

Bibliography: Harrison, John F. C., "The Steam Engine of the New Moral World": Owenism and Education, 1817-1829. The Journal of British Studies, Vol. 6, No. 2, (May, 1967), pp. 76-98. Batchelor, Peter, "The Origin of the Garden City Concept of Urban Form". The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 28, No. 3, (Oct. 1969), pp. 184-200. Taylor, Barbara, "The Men are as Bad as Their Masters ":Socialism, Feminism, and Sexual Antagonism in the London Tailoring Trade in the Early 1830 's, Feminist Studies, 5:1(1979:Spring), p. 7-40. Morgan, John Minter, "Remarks on the Practicability of Mr. Robert Owen 's Plan to Improve the Condition of the Lower Classes". London, 1819. Oliver, W. H., "The Consolidated Trades ' Union of 1834", The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 17, No. 1, (1964), pp. 77-95. Times London. October 4, 1838. p. 5, col. A.