Final answer:
Robert Owen founded New Harmony, Indiana, in 1825 as a Utopian society, attempting to prioritize community cooperation over individual interests, but the practical challenges led to its decline by 1827.
Step-by-step explanation:
The founder of New Harmony, Indiana, the first Utopian society, was Robert Owen. As a Scottish industrialist and social reformer, Owen purchased the Indiana town in 1825 and renamed it New Harmony with the intention of creating a community where cooperation and community needs were prioritized over individual interests. Reflecting Utopian socialist principles, New Harmony was aimed at establishing a new social order as a response to the challenging conditions of industrialization. Despite an innovative constitution that tried to set out a system based on equality and shared responsibilities, the community faced various challenges including disputes over work and non-work contributions, and difficulty becoming self-sufficient. By 1827, the community had moved away from its socialist foundations and was divided, proving that while Utopian in intent, the practical application of such an ambitious social experiment was more difficult than Owen anticipated.