Socialism developed in the wake of sweeping changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in the early eighteenth century. As efficient factories changed the way people worked, the lives of those workers changed drastically. There were dreams of classless societies of equals: no rich, no poor, no sick, and no hungry. This intriguing book explains the roots of socialism, its goals, and how socialism has been interpreted and instituted in different cultures of the world. Using primary source documents and images, the book details the history of socialism, as it became more of a concept than a large political system.