On "New Harmonious Immigrant Area Experiment"

1824, robert owen, who was born in a grassroots family and became an industrialist through hard work, sold all his possessions, took four sons, a group of friends and more than 100 like-minded people, and set out from England and crossed the Atlantic to the United States. He spent 200,000 yuan to buy 30,000 mu of land along the Wabashi River in southern Indiana, and began to build his long-awaited "Xanadu"-the New Harmony Commune.

Owen led all commune members to work together and enjoy the fruits of their labor. They stipulate that all commune members should engage in all kinds of beneficial labor according to their age ―― all children between the ages of 5 and 7 should enter school unconditionally. Lang Lang's reading voice gives all members a kind of comfort and pride. They seem to see the future hope of a "new harmonious commune" and the future of all mankind. Children aged 8 to 10 should not only study, but also take part in various beneficial activities and necessary labor in the commune, such as gardening and housework, and master knowledge that cannot be learned in textbooks. /kloc-Teenagers over 0/2 years old must learn some manual skills in factories and workshops while learning knowledge to prepare for future work. Young people aged 20-25 are the main force in commune construction. Because of the different division of labor, some work in factories, some take part in farm work in farmland, or take part in certain mental work. The future development of the commune depends entirely on the main force of this age group. People between the ages of 25 and 30 only need to take part in two hours of productive labor every day, and the rest are engaged in the security work of the commune and the distribution of products, and some people are engaged in mental work such as scientific research and artistic work. People aged 30 to 40 are responsible for managing, organizing and leading the production of various departments. People aged 40-60 preside over foreign exchanges. Receive guests or exchange products. Older people over the age of 60 form an elderly collective, which is responsible for defending the Constitution, safeguarding its dignity and supervising its implementation.

In this way, according to the age division of labor, all members of the new harmonious commune perform their duties, do their best and live in harmony.

The establishment of a new harmonious commune has attracted the attention of the whole world: people come from all over the world to see how harmonious this commune is. Especially the oppressed and exploited workers, they are full of surprise, envy and hope. They also hope to have their own place in this commune. Even famous scientists at that time, such as william maclure, president of the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences, and josiah warren, an economist and naturalist, came to participate in the construction of a harmonious commune.

The establishment of the "New Harmonious Commune" is so attractive that not only the supporters praised it, but even the opponents sighed in unison. However, the new harmonious commune is not isolated from the world. It is surrounded by the whole traditional forces. And the people who come to the commune are varied, with various purposes and ideas. As a result, various contradictions among members soon appeared and became less harmonious than expected.

Owen, the chief architect of the new harmonious commune, also has a fatal weakness in the construction theory: according to Owen's theory, all the work and activities of commune members are aimed at meeting the needs of commune members, which leads to the shortage of commune products and the contradiction of consumption in short supply. Moreover, due to the different levels of consciousness of commune members, the number of people engaged in mental work is increasing, while the number of manual workers is decreasing; In the case of shortage of skilled workers and ordinary workers, factories and workshops could only stop production and close down frequently, and even the most advanced machines at that time had to be idle. For example, a dye house in the commune can be compared with the most perfect dye house in the United States at that time, but it is nothing; A textile mill can produce 400 kilograms of cotton yarn every day, and a flour mill can produce 60 barrels of flour every day, so it is necessary to stop work frequently; There is also a wheat field as big as 3600 mu, which has little income because there is not enough labor for farming. This situation made Owen pay for the daily losses of the commune. Four years later, on 1828, Owen's economic situation could no longer maintain the survival of the new harmonious commune, and he finally had to declare bankruptcy.

Although the new harmonious commune failed, the socialist theorists represented by Owen are trying to "create an ideal society where everyone is equal". This kind of social experiment undoubtedly provides a useful warning for the development of human civilization ―― social forms cannot be created out of thin air. Beautiful dreams can't replace people's realistic desires, and people's selfishness can only be controlled in one category, and it can't be completely annihilated.