Who advocated for the idea of cooperatives as the foundation of a socialist society?

  1.  Robert Owen

  2.  Karl Marx

  3. Friedrich Engels

  4. Louis Blanc

Answer:

Answer by Student

So, the correct answer is (A): Robert Owen

Detailed Answer by Teachoo

Robert Owen - Teachoo.png

Let’s check all the options

  • Option (A) Robert Owen - Robert Owen was a Welsh social reformer and one of the founders of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He established a model cooperative community at New Lanark in Scotland, where he improved the working conditions and education of the workers and their families. He also advocated for the formation of cooperatives as the foundation of socialist society, where workers would own and manage the means of production and distribution. He believed that cooperatives would create a more harmonious and egalitarian society. So, this is correct. ✅

  • Option (B) Karl Marx - Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, and revolutionary socialist.His focus was more on the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of a communist society, rather than emphasizing cooperatives as the basis of socialism. He did not advocate for cooperatives as the foundation of socialist society, but rather for the overthrow of capitalism by a proletarian revolution and the establishment of a dictatorship of the proletariat that would eventually lead to a classless and stateless society. So, this is incorrect .❌

  • Option (C) Friedrich Engels - Friedrich Engels was a German social scientist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He co-authored The Communist Manifesto with Karl Marx and also edited and completed some of Marx’s works after his death. He also wrote The Condition of the Working Class in England, which exposed the exploitation and misery of industrial workers. He did not advocate for cooperatives as the foundation of socialist society, but rather for the same principles as Marx. So, this is incorrect .❌

  • Option (D) Louis Blanc - Louis Blanc was a French politician, historian, and socialist. He participated in the 1848 Revolution in France and became a member of the provisional government. He proposed the creation of social workshops or associations of workers that would be supported by the state and would eventually replace private enterprises. He did not advocate for cooperatives as the foundation of socialist society, but rather for a form of state socialism that would gradually transform capitalism. So, this is incorrect .❌

Thus, option (A): Robert Owen is correct.

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Davneet Singh

Davneet Singh has done his B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He has been teaching from the past 14 years. He provides courses for Maths, Science and Computer Science at Teachoo