Caring for Others
Robert Owen
Bringing co-operative values to education
Robert Owen
Lesson Aim:
To learn about Robert Owen – who was he and
what did he do?
Lesson Objectives:
Read about the life of Owen
Use sources to find out what people thought about
Owen
Write an epitaph about Owen
Robert Owen
Robert Owen was born in Newtown, Wales
on 14 May, 1771.
He is famous for some new ideas which he
thought might make workers happier. This
was an unusual way of thinking when he
lived.
He lived until 17 November 1858.
During his life he ran a mill in New Lanark,
Scotland, setup a colony called New
Harmony in the USA, and was one of the
founders of socialism and the co-operative
Robert Owen movement.
Robert Owen and New Lanark
Owen was a manager at this mill
and one of the owners.
It was at this mill that he was
able to put into practice some of
his ideas on how to treat
workers and children better.
He believed that if workers were
happy in their lives then they
would be much happier at work.
This would mean that they
would work harder and produce
much more.
Robert Owen and New Lanark cont.
When Owen arrived at New
Lanark he found that the
workers had many problems
including poverty,
drunkenness, and worse.
Many had not been to school
and a lot did not clean
themselves.
Some were so poor they could
Mill workers at New Lanark in the 1890’s only afford to live in a one
room house.
Robert Owen –what people ate
He also found that the people
did not eat well. This made
them unhealthy.
This was because the shop
where they bought their food
often mixed unhealthy products
into the main foods sold.
Sugar, flour and tea would all
be mixed with shoddy goods.
This meant the shop made lots
of money but the people were
sold bad goods.
Inside Toad Lane, the Rochdale Pioneers shop.
The beginning of today’s co-operative movement.
What Owen did
Owen decided to make changes
at New Lanark.
He allowed his workers and his
children to go to school.
They could learn many things
including mathematic, geography
and dancing.
He also made sure that the shop
only solved quality goods and
A dancing class at New Lanark that part of the profit from the
sales went back to the workers.
Did it work?
In many ways yes.
Visitors to the mill would
comment about the excellent
manners of the children, the
happiness of the workers, and
how well run the mill was.
Of course such changes did
cause problems. The other
owners of the mill were always
New Lanark Mill moaning that Owen’s ideas
cost so much money.
Owen and Communities
Owen also had other ideas.
Having made a success of New
Lanark he decided that he
wanted to build ideal
communities in which everyone
worked in harmony and
happiness.
He wanted groups of families to
live within the communities and
help each out in their day to day
lives.
He believed this would end
Robert Owen poverty.
Did it work 2?
His most famous attempt to
make this work happened in
New Harmony, Indiana, USA.
Owen hoped that there would
be lots of communities like this.
In fact the community at New
Harmony only lasted two years
because it cost so much.
New Harmony USA
Questions
1. Why did Owen want happy workers?
2. What problems did the workers have at New Lanark?
3. What made the workers unhealthy?
4. Why did this happen?
5. What did Owen make his shops do?
6. What other changes did Owen make at New Lanark?
7. Which of Owen’s ideas were a success and which were
failures?