Final answer:
Nineteenth-century socialists advocated for the government to actively plan the economy as a means to correct inequalities and believed in social ownership of production. This contrasted with laissez-faire economics, which called for minimal government intervention.
Step-by-step explanation:
The notion that nineteenth-century socialists argued that the government should actively plan the economy is supported by historical evidence. These socialists believed that capitalism inherently led to the exploitation of workers and that the only solution was for government to seize control of the means of production, such as factories, mines, and farmland, and run these enterprises in the public interest. They saw this as a way to correct inequalities in wealth and property distribution, contrasting sharply with the laissez-faire economics of the time, which advocated for minimal government intervention in economic markets.
While these socialists envisaged a variety of ways in which society could exert control over the economy, from central planning as in the former Soviet Union to more decentralized approaches, the common thread was the belief in social ownership of production and redistribution of wealth for the benefit of all citizens, rather than being controlled by the bourgeoisie.