Robert Owen was the sixth child to his parents and was born in
             Newtown (Mid Wales) in 1771. As a child he showed exceptional intelligence
             and was unusually studious for a boy of his age. He was a voracious reader
             and spent a lot of time reading philosophical texts and biographies of
             famous men. He joined as an apprentice in a draping company even when he
             was just 10 years old. This early exposure helped him start his own cotton
             business and in a few years he became the manager and finally a partner of
             Chorlton Twist Company', one of the biggest cotton mills in London. Soon
             his company bought the New Landmark mills' and he became an accomplished
             businessman. Robert Owen was a great social reformer who spent all his
             wealth and devoted his entire life towards the betterment of the society.
             [Robert Owen Memorial Museum]
            
            
             Social and Educational Reforms
            
             Robert Owen was a philanthropist who was not simply contended with his
             business interests but also very concerned about improving the living
             standards of his workers. In spite of the growing discontent of his
             partners Robert spent considerable amount of money towards building houses
             for them and improving their living conditions. He was also seriously
             concerned about improving the moral standards of the employees and
             implemented a system of supervising their behavior, which bore good
             results. Robert very much believed that environment and education had a
             great impact on shaping the character of men and hence showed great
             interest in providing a healthy ambience for children to grow up. To this
             effect he spent a lot of money and opened the famous Institute for the
             Formation of Character", a place of education for the children of the
             deprived class as well as being a learning center for the elderly workers.
             [Floyd Duncan]
            
            
             Factory Reforms
            
             He pioneered socialism without being totally averse to capitalism. One
             remarkable aspect of Robert...