Looking Backward
and its
Application for the 21st Century
In 1887, Edward Bellamy published a
famous book called Looking Backward
which proposed solutions to most of the socio-economic problems pervasive in
the late 19th century. In
the book a wealthy middle class man enters a long sleep to find himself awoken
in the year 2000. By then they had
solved the many problems of the society like labor strikes through a system
resembling socialism or the ideals of communism, that is equality for everyone.
In the 19th century strikes from the
working class were a pervasive problem affecting everyone -- not just the
working class who demanded extra pay, but also middle and upper class for whom
they worked. In the book Looking Backward, Edward Bellamy
realizes the root to this, and most other such problems, is the unequal
distribution of wealth which causes the poor to want more wealth. Also, he pulls out the unrealized positive
aspect of monopolism and proposes a solution in which there exist only one
company the government in which everyone between 21 and 45 must work,
eliminating the problems of unemployment.
The particular job a person gets depends mostly on his interests and
abilities.
The supply and demand are controlled by
the Business of Administration with the principle that everyone’s job should be
of equal difficulty which is determined by the workers themselves. If too little people go into a particular
field, the workload is reduced so there is a higher incentive to join that
field; if too many people go into a particular field the best ones are
selected. If people still don’t do the
job is undone, or deemed “extra hazardous”; doing such a job results in
national gratitude; this is an incentive, Bellamy claims, which will make
people do the job.
This may raise a question: Where does the
government get the pay all the people who only support the county till they are
45. In fact, through the system Bellamy
suggests, no one is paid but rather, they all get “cards” worth an equal amount
of products. This may seem to hinder
trade; however, since everyone works for the government, there are no private
businesses, so money is not needed for trade.
All the private enterprises are replaced by one big department store for
a particular area.
The basis for his system is equality as
said by Shurter in the introduction “Absolute equality of all citizens ... are,
therefore, the foundation stones of Bellamy’s social orders.”[1] In Bellamy’s system wives also work
(something new to the 19th century) so they are independent of
husbands fro support and get their own card. Even though children don’t work,
they, too, are independent of their parents for support.
In the system proposed, higher education
is open, and mandatory to all till they are 21. Until 21, they are supported and educated by the nation. Because everyone is “paid” equal, higher
education is no more expensive than early education which the country already
provides for. In the book Bellamy says
“...the expense of educating ten thousand youth is not ten nor five times that
of educating one thousand. This
principle which makes all operations on a large scale proportionally cheaper
than on a small scale holds to education also.”[2]
No money system is needed for foreign
trade since most of the other big counties have converted to al similar
system. Foreign trade occurs at the
same price between countries as within countries, and countries are prohibited
from favoring other particular nations for trade.
In this system everyone lives a
prosperous life provided by the government.
The government is more prosperous through this system since nothing is
spent for military, there are no debts to pay, everyone ins the country is
working -- there are no idle unemployed or wealthy, and criminals preying on
rich are few. Also, with only one
company throughout the nation, there is no profit taken with “middle men” or
competition. He thinks the system would
remove crime since, with everyone equal and prosperous, there is no motive for
crime.
At first, this may seem like an ideal,
solution to the problems, however it is considered utopian. Is the system of social order presented in Looking Backward applicable to us as we enter a year 2000
quite different form what he described?
I believe there are some discrepancies in his system. He suggests if there are too few people for
a particular job, reducing hours will get enough. I think reducing working hours would only exacerbate the
shortage. Also, his system is relying
on national respect and gratitude to be a motive for people to work past 45 or
in dangerous jobs. I doubt that would
motivate enough people. He also thinks
peoples' attitude would change with this new system. He expects people would put their best efforts into their
jobs. Also, he believes that equality
would cause the end to crime; however crime does not only result from the
inequality of wealth. He says that
schools our more difficult so people wont use them as an escape for work. If schools are more difficult, I would
suspect few people would go for higher education past 21.
Even if his system was flawless, there is
one major problem with applying his system to our society. His system is a big change from our
system. Now, the rich have power and
the rich are satisfied and would not wont to be equalized with everyone
else. This is not completely ignored
from his story; however no method is suggested to convince the powerful of its
value. In the story the character
dreams that he returns to 1887 and explains the system there. It was regarded as “Fanatic” and impossible;
he was considered an “enemy of society” and a “pestilent fellow” by his class
who did not realize the troubles of lower classes[3].
The system has been tried out, but only
on a small scale. There were 196 such
civilizations made including one in Point Loma. The city never met its expensive and needed many donations[4]. The sites never survived since they were
never large - scale and wealth wouln’t be saved due to large scale
establishments; however this may be interpreted these systems can't
survive. In the postscript he says:
The description to which this book is
devoted ... is not objected to as depicting a degree of human felicity and moral
development necessarily unattainable by the race, provided time enough has been
allowed for its evolution from the present chaotic state of society. In failing to allow this, the reviewer
thinks that the author has made an absurd mistake, which seriously detracts from the values of the book ...[5]
It may be a good system, but would be
ignored and, if presented not successful through the government. Also, it requires other countries to run
similarly, with a hope of uniting them all.
It would be very difficult to influence the other countries.
[1] Shurur, Robert, Introduction. Looking Backward, By Edward Bellamy. 1887. New York: Random House Inc. , 1951: xix
[2] Bellamy, Edward, Looking Backward. 1887. New York: Random House Inc, 1951: 177.
[3] Bellamy, Edward, Looking Backward. 1887. New York: Random House Inc, 1951: 270.
[4] Faragher, John M. Out of Many: A History of the American People 2 vols. Englewood Cliff, New Jersey: Prentice Halls, 1995: 186, 367.
[5] Bellamy, Edward, Looking Backward. 1887. New York: Random House Inc, 1951: 274.