During the 1800s, the United States transitioned from a primarily feudal, agricultural society to an industrial system based on private capital. And while the new industrial economy was vastly more efficient in terms of producing and accumulating wealth, power and wealth were only cultivated by the privileged few. A large gap separated social classes and Julian, like others born into aristocratic families, regarded themselves as superior to those less fortunate. Poverty was seen as an inevitable part of society by both sympathizers and those less caring such as Julian. There was an unequal balance between supply and demand. Workers went on strike frequently, and labor was idle and inefficient. There were surpluses, shortages, and numerous business failures. Doctor Leete cites these realities as a consequence of the nineteenth century’s wasteful, competition-driven system. Julian’s concerns at the time were limited to the issues of his class. For example, labor …show more content…
He appreciates all the systems described by Doctor Leete, and his preference for the twentieth century over the previous era is epitomized when Julian has a nightmare that he returns to the nineteenth century. There, he tries to explain the new world and is scrutinized by his peers. He feels ashamed that he once contributed to the systemic chains of his old society. This equalization that Julian grows to understand and value is due to a new system of government. The purpose of this new system is to maintain social order and direct the nation’s industries so that there is an equal distribution of property. The government “guarantees the nurture, education, and comfortable maintenance of every citizen from the cradle to the grave” (Bellamy 30). It is an organization founded on essential mutual dependence, in which the state provides and ensures the safety and security of all of its