Trans-Atlantic Reputations: Protestant Communalism and Early Socialism

Abstract

Lockley traces the interest and imitation which Protestant communal traditions provoked in early socialism. The chapter reveals the Shakers, Harmonist, and Separatists of Zoar developed a trans-Atlantic reputation among early socialists, especially Robert Owen’s followers, as their vision to end private property was emboldened by the success of communal societies. Narrating the interactions between these social radicals and Protestant communalism, Lockley records how some trans-Atlantic socialist visitors converted to Shakerism, while others valued accounts of such groups as proof that socialism worked. The chapter concludes with reflections of how the ‘imagined future’ of socialism in the nineteenth century paralleled the theologies and practices of Protestant communalism, and highlights the essentially individual choice and commitment that ultimately sustained communities of property.