Origin of Socialism

Socialism as a political and economic ideology was developed in the 1800s as a response to growing industrialization and its resulting urban poverty. Trade unionists, activists, and intellectuals including Charles Dickens coalesced for demanding greater government involvement and accountability. As the movement grew more radical sections began calling for the transfer of private property away from the owners to the working class.This is the most common definition of socialism. Socialism is an economic system where the means of production the land, labor, and wealth of a country are controlled by the working class. While most socialists, academics, and politicians associate socialism strongly with Karl Marx & his collaborator Friedrich Engels, socialism existed before them. Marx provided a mathematical justification against capitalism in his work Das Kapital and a political means of organizing against capitalism in the Communist Manifesto. Initially, these ideas were widely loathed and the two were forced to flee Germany to London. However, these ideas began to become part of greater socialism. There are still varieties of socialism that reject the ideas of Karl Marx altogether such as libertarian socialism but do agree with his assertion of the class struggle. Marx & Engels ultimately found support in the International Workingmen's' Association or First International where their ideas were published.

Early years

Socialism's roots began around the 3rd century BCE in the Mauryan empire of India which some scholars have described as a "socialized monarchy" due to the "nationalisation of industry's"