Looking Backward 2000-1887 [Hardcover]

Like most Utopias, Edward Bellamy illustrates his ideal society through a light narrative designed to both deliver his point and entertain the reader; in this case, the narrative evolves from suspense (kinda) into, of course, a love story. The tale centers around Julian West, a bourgeoisie-of-sorts from late 19th century society, whose hypnotic sleep leaves him lying peacefully until he is awoken in the year 2000 by a doctor and his family. The plot is obviously not meant to be particularly realistic, but as framework for Bellamy to build his theory upon it serves him quite well.

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The title, "Looking Backward" is derived from the dialogue between the main character and the family that found him, throughout which aspects from the "current" society of the year 2000 are contrasted with that of the past. The dialogue evolves to include Bellamy's theories on economics, production, political agendum and other less defined, though no less well-conceived, philosophies on social direction and operation. I found it most interesting that he was able to foresee the rise of corporations and their monopoly over production and distribution at a time when industrialism was at its infancy.

I could write pages upon pages about the ideas in Looking Backward, but instead I'll just point you to the text itself. As a reviewer, one is always tempted to incorporate their own bias into the review. For instance, I have read reviews of this book that dismiss it for promotion of what later became known as socialism. This is most absurd as such a narrow minded dismissal not only blames a text for the faulty implementation of a faulty system in despotic hands but ignores the intent of the author, which was to illustrate a society based upon unity and equality as opposed to the current system disunity and inequality. I have also read reviews that suggest the book to be 'incomplete' for not elaborating upon the details in which the society of 1887 transformed to the Utopia of 2000. I put forth that such a task should not and cannot be undertaken by an author whose intent is to outline their ideal society, as it is to the rest of us who would see the ideal realized that would need to undertake its practical development and application. The task of all authors is to spread ideas, not necessarily to implement them.

If you are looking for a good story to read, skip this book. The story is pretty weak and the writing is in most instances overly technical at times when simple language would suffice. What makes it the classic that it is are the ideas expounded within the text. The most admirable and practical example of such to me was his views on concerted production, where the extreme wealth of the state is achieved through the industries working together towards a single cause (the wealth of the state, of course) instead of against each other, profiteering from the collapse of their competitors. I also envy the idea, however unattainable it would seem, that since all wages are equal for all citizens, each pursues his vocation solely for the genuine love of the field.

Time and time again while reading through this text, I could not help but pause and ask myself why such a system as described by Bellamy couldn't and doesn't exist. Perhaps it is too unrealistic. Perhaps it is too idealistic. But as I like to think, perhaps it just makes too much sense for such a flawed species to accept.

While it is always enjoyable to view humanity from a different perspective, whether through dystopic novels or texts that deal with philosophy or theoretical physics, this book was somewhat less than what I had hoped for. It is basically an instructional manual on the merits of socialism/communism that is lightly veiled as being a futuristic novel. The author's writing style is highly pedantic and authoritarian and, while he has humanity's best intentions before him, he left this reader less than impressed and rather bored through most of his stilted presentation.

The idyllic view that he has of the world is one where there is total equality and on-going happiness amongst all men. All areas of monetary reward, gender biases, national armed forces, educational opportunities, religious interests, etc... have all been resolved and equalized for the benefit of all. There is very little information on how the US was able to create such an arena of bliss without massive internal resistance nor is there any regret on the citizenry's part for what was lost during or after the transition. Instead, the author sees such a transition as being quite natural and accepting by all persons involved. By viewing it in this manner Mr. Bellamy negates a number of evolutionary traits that mankind has developed throughout the ages regardless of how distasteful they may seem to any of us. Darwin clearly defined areas such as survival of the fittest, defensive anger, paternalism, boundary protection and competitive pursuits as being traits that allowed the species to regenerate itself through the successful leaving of viable offspring. And, while I agree that most of these traits are non-harmonious and that they do cause personal stress, they did lead to the successful continuation of the species. By doing so, they remain as innate traits within all of us. A simple change in social rules will not eliminate nor simply subdue these assertive instincts.

Maybe on some other planet that is inhabited by another species other than homo sapiens can such a utopian vision exist. But not on planet earth and not with what mankind has, to this point, evolved into. The people would never allow such a massive change to occur and, even if they did, where would they find a totally selfless and altruistic leader to oversee such a society? Wouldn't the leaders themselves live out the credo that...."Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."? The most we as a society can strive for is either be a more highly regulated form of capitalism that has a greater system of checks and balances than presently exists or a severely modified and individualized form of socialism that does not take away the unique ego structure that is present within each of us.

The author Edward Bellamy was the cousin of Francis Bellamy the author of the Pledge of Allegiance, which expresses the ideas Edward Bellamy's socialist utopian novels. Both cousins were self-proclaimed socialists and members of the "Nationalism" movement and its socialist auxiliary group, whose members touted Military Socialism and wanted the federal government to nationalize most of the American economy. They saw government schools as a means to their socialist "Nationalism." Francis wrote the Pledge of Allegiance to promote socialism in the most socialistic institution -government schools.

The early Pledge of Allegiance used a straight arm salute, not the modern hand over the heart. The Pledge was the origin of the stiff-arm salute that was adopted later by the National Socialist German Workers Party. Edward Bellamy's book was an international bestseller that launched the nationalism movement worldwide. Edward's book was translated into every major language, including German. They wanted government to take over all schools and impose robotic chanting to flags. The Pledge's early right-arm salute was not an ancient Roman salute, and the 'ancient Roman salute' myth came from the Pledge. In addition to the notorious salute, American socialists (e.g. Edward Bellamy and Francis Bellamy teamed with the Theosophical Society and Freemasons) also bear some blame for the notorious symbol usd by the National Socialist German Workers Party. The same symbol was used by the Theosophical Society during the time when the Bellamys, Freemasons and the Theosophical Society worked together. They also helped spread the stiff arm salute via the Pledge at their meetings.

The symbol was used as alphabetical symbolism for socialism, and adopted later by German socialists as their flag symbol. Although an ancient symbol, was altered for use as overlapping S-letters for 'socialism.' It was deliberately turned 45 degrees counter clockwise and always oriented in the S-direction. Similar alphabetic symbolism is still visible as Volkswagen logos. People were persecuted for refusing to perform robotic chanting to the national flag at the same time in the USA and Germany (to the American flag, and to the German symbol flag). All of the above are modern discoveries by America's leading authority on the Pledge of Allegiance, the historian Dr. Rex Curry (author of "Pledge of Allegiance Secrets").

Francis Bellamy lived long enough to see the Pledge's salute and a similar philosophy espoused by the National Socialist German Workers Party. The ominous parallels in Edward Bellamy's book are terrifying.

Edward Bellamy's "Looking Backward" is about a man who sleeps from 1887 until the year 2000. The United States has become one giant socialist monopoly. The book openly portrays men treated as military draftees, from the age of twenty-one until the age of forty-five, in the USA's "industrial army." Bellamy's glorification of the military includes government assignment of all jobs. Everyone is issued ration cards which are used to draw goods from government storehouses. Everyone is permitted only the same amount in value annually.

Of course, all of the preceding is portrayed as a dandy utopia just as it was portrayed by so many apologists for the military socialist complex of that led to the socialist wholecost (of which the Holocaust was a part): the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics killed 60 million killed; the People's Republic of China, 50 million; the National Socialist German Workers' Party, 20 million. There were millions more elsewhere.

Did Bellamy foresee soviet-style rationing, or did he inspire it? Bellamy's is the same socialist naivete that resulted in 7 million persons who perished from 1932-33 in the famine that resulted in Europe's "breadbasket" after the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics imposed collectivist land management in the Ukraine. By the spring of 1933, an estimated 25,000 people died every day in the Ukraine. It is the same socialist naivete that resulted in 27 million people starving to death in 1958 in the so-called "Great Leap Forward" in China. Was the "Great Leap Forward" inspired by "Looking Backward"?