Robert Owen was one of the pioneers of utopian socialism, and its impact spread both in Europe and in the United States.
Robert Owen made a fortune in the textile business of Manchester. He could have taken his riches and enjoyed the luxurious life, but instead, he promoted an alternative socialist vision to the current industrial and competitive society.
Owen said that the profit motive should not be the main modeler of society; rather, he said that he could create a community in which workers were paid what they were worth and shared, instead of competing, in all areas of life.