Teenagers looked at colorful streets and rows of tall buildings all the way, too excited to speak, only to sigh the magic created by the industrial revolution. This teenager who went from a remote town to a noisy city later became a famous utopian socialist? Robert? Owen.
In our textbooks, Owen is considered to be? An unrealistic idealist? Criticize, partially deny. But this man who struggled all the way from poor workers to capitalists and then shared his property for socialist beliefs should be remembered by future generations.
177 1 In May, little Owen was born in a poor town called Niutang. His family is a craft family. His father knows some skills and can do some small business. He is a harness master and hardware dealer, and his mother is an ordinary postman.
Because the family generally made ends meet, little Owen didn't have a chance to read many books and died early on his way to school. At the age of 9, he had dropped out of school at home, learned some crafts from his father and worked as an apprentice in a woolen shop in his hometown. However, young and clever Owen has never been willing to be an ordinary craftsman.
So at the age of 10, he left his hometown and went to London to stay with his big brother. He wants to find a job, but he is too young to find one. Fortunately, an acquaintance introduced him to a job as an apprentice in a big dye house in Stamford, Lincolnshire.
Although he found a job, Owen still didn't want to live so quietly. /kloc-when he was 0/4 years old, he went to London again and worked as a clerk in a coat shop. Here, he deeply realized the hardship and difficulty of work, and he had to get up early to work for more than ten hours every day. But even 996 (probably figuratively, after all, 996 was the real blessing at that time) failed to stop Owen's enthusiasm for learning. He insists on self-study every day even under such high-intensity work pressure, which is really a model for our generation.
In this way, two years later, Owen reached the age of 16. At this time he was completely free, and his mother turned to support him to fly freely. That's why he went to Manchester alone. At that time, Manchester was the most prosperous textile center in Britain, which gave Owen enough stage to display.
At this high-spirited age, Owen is determined to make a great career in Manchester. He first worked as a commercial employee in a factory, accumulating experience and starting capital. Here, he witnessed the vigorous industrial revolution, and at the same time, he also saw the naked inequality behind the glamour.
After the baptism of industrial civilization, he further wanted to catch up with the pace of the times, so he studied harder. To this end, he also joined the local literature and philosophy association and made a socio-economic report at the meeting.
18 years old, Owen borrowed 100 from others, and then set up a factory in partnership with a mechanic to run the textile industry. Note that he doesn't make that much money here, but he dares to borrow money from others to start a company. This shows that Owen has extraordinary courage and courage.
The factory grew slowly, and then improved slightly, becoming a factory with 40 employees. However, the partner later dumped Owen because he wanted to cooperate with bigger customers. 179 1, a big boss discovered Owen's talent. He trusted Owen's excellent organization and management ability and entrusted him with the management of a large factory with 500 people.
Owen also lived up to expectations and made great achievements in this company. He is carrying out drastic reforms. Using the thinking accumulated in previous years, he tried to innovate the factory system, improve the production process and reduce the production cost, thus improving the management and organization level of the whole factory. These practices make him a? Father of modern personnel management? Until now, it still enjoys a good reputation, and his methods are out of date even now, let alone the world two hundred years ago.
Since then, Owen has become so famous in the whole British industry that his name has been printed on the packaging of products. Three years later, he took office and became a company composed of three oldest firms in London and Manchester? Charlton twist? As shareholders and managers.
Here, Owen also gets along well. 1799, in the name of this factory, he bought a large cotton mill in Lanark, on the border between Scotland and England. This factory has 2500 employees, advanced machinery and equipment, and a large number of farms and villages. Owen has been the president of this big factory since 1800, and he has been fully operating the factory.
Lanak was a microcosm of the British industrial revolution at that time. There are countless rolling financial resources belonging to capitalists, and poor workers are squeezed endlessly. Capitalists lead a drunken life in luxury, while front-line workers can only be exhausted in dim light. Owen feels heaven and hell here. He was originally a member of heaven and just wanted to speak for the people in hell.
Owen is determined to buy shares? Profit? At the same time, improve the lives of workers and make the society here fairer through the reorganization of production and circulation.
He shortened the working day and prohibited the use of child labor under the age of 9; He also raised the wages of workers and sold them goods at wholesale prices. At the same time, he built many workers' houses and set up public kitchens and canteens. Besides, he also founded kindergartens and schools so that workers' children could learn and practice? Eight hours of work, eight hours of entertainment and eight hours of rest? This is difficult for many enterprises to do after more than 200 years? In a word, Owen tried his best to turn this place into a beautiful living area.
He worked hard here for several years and turned Lanark into a model immigrant area. There is no gambling, fighting, whoring or drinking here? Owen is famous all over Europe, even all over the world, and he also poured into the upper class aristocratic society. At this time, he was rich, but he was not addicted to singing and dancing and getting drunk like many capitalists.
On the contrary, he thinks? The fruit should belong to all workers! Serve the common welfare of all? Private property was and is the root of countless crimes and disasters committed by people?
1820, Owen wrote "Report to Lanak County", in which he systematically expounded his socialist thoughts and put forward his own views on many problems existing in bourgeois society. At this point, Owen realized the transformation from a charitable capitalist to a utopian socialist, and also broke away from being a friend of the upper capitalist.
Engels later commented on this incident and said: turning to communism was a turning point in Owen's life. When he was a philanthropist, all he got was wealth, praise, fame and honor. He is the most famous person in Europe? But when he put forward his communist theory, the situation changed completely. ? Indeed, after putting forward his own ideas, Owen was not only expelled from the upper class, but also regarded as? Demon? Blockade and cold reception of newspapers and periodicals.
Owen didn't fall in the Crusades. Even though the cold current of anti-communism swept through Europe, he never thought of giving up his truth.
1824, Owen left disappointed England quietly on a cruise ship with four sons and dozens of believers. He went to the new world on the other side of the ocean, where everyone was looking for gold? America. He has conceived that creating a wonderful city there is even more magical than new lanark? Utopia? 、? Sun City? .
Owen spent10.5 million dollars to buy 30,000 mu of land, build a building and build a commune in Indiana, USA. New harmony? . Owen looked at the endless vilen and felt warm in his heart. Unconsciously, his eyes were a little moist. Perhaps it is the joy of the realization of the ideal, or perhaps it is the confusion and helplessness of the future. He doesn't know what he can do after he has exhausted all his wealth, and he doesn't know how the world will evaluate him in the future.
He just stood alone, the residual red of the sunset smeared on his silvery temples, and the shadow stretched out little by little on the grass? The sky is high and the clouds are light. The wind rises gently and stops gently.
Under his leadership, an announcement of Concord Commune appeared in front of the world. Each member owns half an acre to one acre of land. The purpose of production is no longer accumulation, and the principle of distribution is distribution according to need. The highest authority of the commune is the congress of all members.
People who saw the announcement rushed to tell each other that they were all going to this paradise on earth. However, the more beautiful things, the more fragile. New Concord Commune? Like foam under a rainbow, it breaks at the touch.
Religious differences, national prejudice and human greed have flooded this new commune. 1828, this struggle in the wind and rain? Utopia? It collapsed, and Owen's body and mind were destroyed in the storm with the demise of the commune.
When Owen failed, his great wealth turned into a breeze on the vast plains and a rain that moistened people in history.
However, he didn't give up his ideal. He dragged himself back to London and remained active in the pursuit of social justice and socialism until June1858165438+10/7.
It was late autumn, and 83-year-old Owen was standing on a busy street, with unsteady steps, but his feet still had the power to penetrate time. At the last moment of his life, he still smiled happily at the world, and then collapsed in that quiet hut by the Thames.
His nobility will always be remembered by people.