Utopia can be called a form of social consciousness or collective. People have always tried to build an ideal society where everyone will be happy, equally rich and equal.
History knows dozens of attempts to create utopian societies. Some communities were built on the principles of freedom, others on communist ideas. But they all failed. Some of the utopian communities lasted several decades, and some less than a week. Particularly interesting communities were in the 9th century. On our list we will present 15 unsuccessful utopian societies in history.
1
Colony of equality
The colony of equality was an attempt to create a socialist utopia in Washington state. Her inspiration was the organization "Brotherly Commonwealth", which existed in those years. The community totaled more than 2,000 people. They decided to create a colony in 1897, based on socialist ideas. Washington was chosen as the place to settle because it was not yet densely populated and the authorities were not against it.
At first, the population lived in peace and harmony, working together on equal terms. But, as it happens with people, they could not fight the instinct of domination and the thirst for competition. A lot of buildings appeared in the colony, such as a forge, a workshop, various shops. By 1903, the population of the community was reduced to 100 people. Then there were only the most persistent socialists who wanted to save the settlement. The colony of equality ended in 1907.
2
Shaker Communities
Shakers were a religious movement that arose in the 12th century in England. They were called the "Community of Believers at the Second Coming of Christ." They promoted a matriarchal society, where women had more power, as well as complete abstinence from sexual intimacy. Such ideas were not the most popular at that time in Europe, so they created their own communities.
The first shakers arrived in North America in 1775. In subsequent years, they developed rapidly. By 1820, 12 active shaker communities were created. The peak took place in 1850, when the number of inhabitants in the communities reached 20 thousand people. After the Civil War, the population of communities sharply declined.
Shakers were known for their strange behavior and faith in the Holy Spirit, who regularly told them what to do and what to believe. Many people visited shaker communities just to see their way of life. There is currently only one community of shakers in Maine. They seemed to be stuck at the same time, and progress seemed to bypass them. The only settlement of shakers is very popular with tourists. This is the cultural heritage of America.
By the way, on our site most-beauty.ru there is a very interesting article about churches where people do not worship God.
3
Forlandland
In 1928, the famous automobile tycoon Henry Ford put forward the strange idea of creating a proper society in the middle of the tropical jungle of the Amazon in Brazil. At that time, Brazil was a center for the production of rubber necessary for rubber production. Ford went to Brazil, bought land, and founded a settlement dedicated to the lives of workers who would grow rubber. He planned to bring the population to 10 thousand people. It was a city among the jungle. There were American and Brazilian workers. Although Ford was for equality, American workers had much better living conditions than Brazilian ones. And he also established his own laws, which not everyone liked.
Especially the population did not like the law on the prohibition of alcohol. As a result, residents staged a brawl that swept the entire settlement. People destroyed everything, including their own homes. Ford then revived the settlement again, but his utopian dream died anyway. The Americans quietly left Fordland. This settlement is now, where almost 2 thousand people live.
4
Nashoba Community
The Nashob community began with the best of intentions. The main convictions of the ideological inspirers were the abolition of the slave trade and the oppression of blacks. They advocated the abolition of slavery. A plot of 810 hectares in Tennessee was chosen for the settlement. The settlement was supposed to exist without the use of slaves. Having succeeded in housekeeping and development, they could prove to everyone that slavery is not necessary. And they also wanted to show that slaves are people like everyone else. But all the ideas failed. In fact, it turned out that black residents still communicated with whites as bosses.
They failed to break the stereotypes of that time. In addition, their farms fell into disrepair due to poor management. There was simply not enough money for survival. The Nashoba community fell into decay in 1828, having existed for only 3 years.
5
New harmony
The New Harmony is another failed utopian commune created by the British philosopher and industrialist Robert Owen. Not finding like-minded people in his views in England, Robert Owen decides to move to America in 1824 and establish a commune there. In this project, he will invest almost all of his fortune.
He represented the “New Harmony” as a real utopia, where everyone will be happy, educated and equal. His main belief was that the external environment can change a person. And he was an ardent supporter of socialism.
He did not begin to build a city, but bought out a ready-made one and began to invite everyone. In addition to the ideological inhabitants, many lazy people and simply crazy people arrived in the city. A constitution and charter were issued, which was regulated by a committee of seven. Four members of the committee were chosen by Owen himself, and three were elected by the people of the community.
After Owen left for Scotland to find new residents for his city. While he was gone, the workers came into conflict with the authorities. Socialist utopia crashed. The city was overpopulated and was not able to produce enough goods to function as an independent settlement. "New Harmony" ceased to exist in 1829. Now this settlement is a monument and tourist attraction in Indiana. 800 people live in it. Robert Owen himself died in old age in 1958.
6
The Fallen City
“Fallen City” or Drop City is another utopian settlement of the 60s of the last century. It arose at a time when hippie culture was common. It was a cheeky youth listening to reggae and smoking weed.
In 1965, a group of students bought a piece of land. They decided to build some strange domed houses. Most likely, they wanted to find a place for their parties. After a while, the rumor about this settlement quickly spread, and people rushed there. People came from far away to live freely, without hassle and problems.
The problem arose in that along with normal people, many inadequate and simply crazy people arrived there. Beginners came into conflict with old-timers, so the equal system was lost. The whole community fell into decay in 1970. Strange domed houses still exist as a symbol of the stupid aspirations of those years.
7
Frutland (Fruitland)
The next stranger community appeared in Massachusetts. It existed for about a year. Its founders were vegetarians. Eating meat or animal products was strictly prohibited. It was a vegan city. Residents could not use animals for cultivating land or for other jobs. They planted only those plants that did not harm the worms living in the earth. Because of such stupid laws, their harvest was very scarce, and 1843 was completely barren. The winter was cold, there wasn’t enough food, so the inhabitants of Frutland simply surrendered and left the settlement.
8
City-community of Palmanova
The city of Palmanova is now an active commune in northern Italy. It was founded in 1593, primarily as a fortress from the surrounding enemies, and also as a place for a new society. It took the builders seven years to complete the construction of all the fortifications. The shape of the outer walls of the city has strict geometric shapes. The authorities of the Venetian Republic wanted to make him a utopia, where everyone can live in peace and harmony with others. It was decided to release criminals from prisons, provided that they live in the city. As expected, chaos and unrest soon reigned in the city. The appearance of the city was beautiful, but failed to build the perfect new society. Now this fortified city is a popular historical monument.
We also recommend that you watch an interesting article on most-beauty.ru about the most beautiful cities in the world.
9
Arcosanti
In 1970, the American architect Paulo Soleri set about creating the society of his dreams. The utopian city is called Arcosanti. The architect wanted to show the whole world that civilization could be created without harming nature. Harmony with nature is the main idea of the project. Paulo Solery was based on the principles of archeology. This is a mixture of two concepts: architecture and ecology. He built futuristic buildings that were not so attractive for life.
Even after so many years, the city continues to exist, but its population is only 50 people, most of which are volunteers and students. Soleri planned a population of over 5,000. Its strange buildings became the set for the production of a science fiction film in 1988. Paulo Soleri himself lived a long life. He died at the age of 95 in 2013.
10
Brookpharm
Brookpharm is a favorite on our list of failed utopias. The commune was founded in 1841 on a 81 hectare farm. The inhabitants of the farm spent all their time at work planting and picking fruits and vegetables. Most of them were intelligentsia, and only a small part were farmers and workers. In exchange for hard work, the villagers received free food, education, and clothing. The main problem at Brook Farm was that even children were involved in hard work.
Many people found the conditions too difficult and simply left. But the former residents of Brookpharm always warmly recall the time spent on the farm. Now this settlement is recognized as a historical monument and is entered in the register of historical places of the USA.
11
Freeland
Freeland received the appropriate name because of the main idea of a new settlement. The land of the settlement should not belong to anyone. Everything was free for everyone. It is located on a tiny island off the coast of Washington. And also nearby was the colony of equality, which we talked about above. In fact, the first settlers were those who had previously left the colony of equality during its decline. The settlement was founded in 1900 and actually survived to this day with a population of about 2 thousand people. How people managed to keep the commune in such a harsh climate is not clear.
By the way, there is a fascinating article about the most beautiful islands in the world on most-beauty.ru.
12
Auroville "City of Dawn"
Auroville is an ideal utopian city that is still functioning. It is located in India. It was founded in 1968. His inspiration is Mirra Alfassa. The main idea of Auroville is that people of various nationalities will live here in peace and harmony outside of politics and religion. The land of the city belongs to the whole team. The main attraction of the city is a huge gilded sphere in the center. Now there live representatives of 45 countries and nationalities, most of whom are Indians.
Everything seems to be fine, but rumor has it that the city has become a haven for maniacs and pedophiles. Some suggest that the entire commune is a cult for child molestation. As of 2014, a little more than 2 thousand people lived there.
13
New Lanark
Remember the failed utopian Robert Owen, who was the creator of New Harmony? So, he was not the only such project. New Lanark was his attempt to create a socialist commune in Scotland. It all started with cotton mills located in that place. Houses for factory workers were built. Robert Owen eventually bought the entire settlement for his new social experiment. At first everything went well. New Lanark acted as an independent commune for many years. But in the end, the economic downturn led to the closure of the mills. This led to the outflow of inhabitants and the devastation of the settlement.
14
North American phalanx
Another of the many unsuccessful utopias of the 1840s. The settlement was founded by followers of Charles Fourier. A small number of people built a large common house, built a mill on the river, and began to engage in various crafts. The population eventually grew to 150 people. Almost all the inhabitants were educated, they spent their leisure time dancing, singing, reading newspapers and books. In the commune, everyone was considered equal and everyone worked on an equal footing. They got food and everything else, so to speak, from a common boiler. But the disagreements of the inhabitants led to the collapse of the commune. They could not agree on the total amount of work that everyone should do. Someone worked all day, and someone 1-2 hours, but they received everything on an equal footing. The North American phalanx surprisingly lasted for 12 years.
15
Ruskin Colony
Raskin's colony existed from 1894 to 1896. It was founded by newspaper editor Julius Augustus, who believed in the teachings of socialist writer John Ruskin. His theory was the victory of socialism and the creation of small communes everywhere. In the 1800s, these ideas were very popular, so various utopian settlements were formed, including the Ruskin colony. It fell apart for no particular reason due to various disputes and disagreements of its inhabitants.