utopian socialism
- noun
- /juˈtoʊpiən ˈsoʊʃəlɪzəm/
- Specialized
- Unlike Marxist theories, utopian socialism focused on ideal societies rather than class struggle.
Examples
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The principles of utopian socialism inspired several experimental communities.
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Some 19th-century reformers advocated utopian socialism as a peaceful alternative to revolution.
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Many believe in utopian socialism as a path to a fairer society.
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The concept of utopian socialism is often discussed in academic circles.
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Some 19th-century reformers advocated utopian socialism as a peaceful alternative to revolution.
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The principles of utopian socialism inspired several experimental communities aimed at achieving social equality.
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Unlike Marxist theories, utopian socialism focuses on creating ideal societies through cooperation rather than conflict.
Antonyms
- Formal
A type of socialism that focuses on practical goals used in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
How Practical
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly built from the adjective 'utopian' (ideal/perfect, often impractical) modifying 'socialism' (a system of collective ownership), so a learner who knows those words can infer it refers to an idealistic form of socialism. The adjective+noun composition is compositional and cross-linguistically obvious, even if some historical nuances (e.g. non‑revolutionary tactics) require more background knowledge.
Etymology
The phrase utopian socialism comes from 19th-century thinkers who imagined small, perfect communities where people would share work and goods by choice. They used utopian from Thomas More's book 'Utopia', meaning a perfect place, and socialism for shared ownership, so the phrase means trying to reach equality by peaceful, ideal communities rather than by revolution.