Robert Owen, born in the United Kingdom in 1771, had some ideas that were very different than they way most people thought in the late 1770s and the early 1800s. He believed in utopian ideals.

Robert Owen was involved in business. At the age of 19, he started his own business that was involved in the textile industry. Eventually, he was able to run a mill his father-in-law had owned when he bought the business from his father-in-law.

Robert Owen believed in treating his workers fairly. This was a very uncommon belief of owners who ran factories during this time period. He wanted his workers and their families to be treated well. He restricted child labor, he built a school, and he worked to improve the working conditions in his business.

Later in his life, he established a community based on his utopian beliefs. This community was called New Harmony. This community, located in Indiana, was based on the concept of people cooperating with each other instead of competing against each other. He wanted everybody to get an education and to eliminate the grouping of people based on their wealth. Unfortunately, this community was not successful in the long run.

Robert Owen believed an ideal society was one where everybody was treated well and where people worked cooperatively together.