The term Utopia is derived from Sir Thomas More’s 1516 literary work titled Utopia. The book described an ideal fictional island nation that used a communal social system. He got the term from the Greek word ou-topos which meant nowhere. The satirical book was More’s attempt to suggest ways to improve the European sociopolitical system by using Utopia as an example. Today, Utopian societies refer to a group of people who are intent on building a unique social system founded upon the desire to create a perfect civilization that is free from conflict and suffering.
What Were Some of the Main Characteristics of Early Utopian Communities?
Many early Utopian societies typically isolated themselves from the larger population in order to manifest their desire. Usually, such groups consisted of religious or secular members willing to live a shared existence within the primary rules of a group. Many of them were based on the desire to recreate utopian concepts such as the Garden of Eden as depicted in the Bible.
Plato’s Republic offers the earliest recorded outline of a Utopian society. In his book The Republic, written around 375 BC, Plato talked about a near-perfect Greek nation-state that had a shared existence. While the book attempted to critique existing sociopolitical systems, it conjured a city called the Kallipolis that was led by philosopher-kings. The leaders were selected based on their wisdom and would be educated for five decades before being allowed to take the reins of leadership. The crux of the system was that their understanding of justice and fairness and how to achieve them would ultimately lead society to a peaceful and prosperous coexistence.
That said, many early, prominent European Utopian movements can be traced to the 16th century Protestant Reformation, as they were particularly prevalent among Protestant religious groups. A significant number of them were modelled on the structure of early Christian societies and cropped up mostly within monastic groups. In the Middle Ages this communal setup evolved beyond monastic settings and began being practised by different religious and secular groups.
Why Did Early Utopian Communities in Europe Move to America?
Many of the early idealistic utopian groups had different rules and beliefs, and from the early 1800s, many of them moved to the United States. This was because US statutes were more accommodating due to laws that supported personal freedoms. While in America, many idealistic societies formed their own self-reliant, communal groups that followed their own unique rules.
The Harmony Society, also referred to as the Rappites, was the earliest recorded European utopian group to move to the United States. Started by Johann Georg Rapp and his adopted son, Frederick Reichert, in the 1780s, the group faced fierce resistance from the Lutheran church due to its radical Anabaptist doctrines. Subsequently, its members moved from Württemburg in Germany to the United States in 1803 where it would gain religious freedom.
On reaching America, the group bought thousands of acres of land in Butler County, Pennsylvania, where it established a settlement named Harmony. While there, the community strove to uphold the principles outlined in the Bible, which it believed was mankind’s ultimate guide.
What Were Some of the Models Used by Utopian Communities?
Many early utopian groups had their own unique group rules and structures. Some communities were, for example, commercially beneficial to members. The Shakers utopian group started in 1747, for instance, operated based on its own religious beliefs. It also had its own communal farming system. The Amana Colonies, another utopian group created in 1714, also used a nearly similar faith-based system that included a profit-sharing model.
The Brook Farm idealistic group, started in 1841, was another unique utopian society that mainly drew intellectuals. The group provided food, shelter, clothes and proceeds to its members. Another well-known group was the Oneida Community. The group which was founded in 1848 practiced the concept of “complex marriage,” where members saw themselves as married to the whole group rather than to one person. The group engaged in commercial activities such as broom making and wood milling. The society was finally shut down in January 1881 after it was converted into a joint stock company.
