The nineteenth century in England was a transitional time from feudalism to capitalism, that was characterized by a rapid increase in industry and extreme poverty among the masses. In response to these conditions, a new concept of society, called socialism, came into being. However, despite the clash between those who believed in capitalism and those who advocated socialism, the real dispute was between those who believed in the power of individual ideas and those who emphasized the role of impersonal historical forces.
             A number of nineteenth century thinkers were concerned with the existing conditions and developed different ideas of bringing about change. For example, Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism addresses the role of religion in developing a capitalist mode of thinking. In Hard Times, Dickens highlights the plight of England's poor and the role of industrialism in perpetuating poverty. Lastly, in The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels develop an alternative framework to capitalism that is founded on the abolishment of private property and the creation of a commonwealth society.
             Traditionally, capitalism has been associated with self-regulated individualism, and socialism, with dialectical evolution. As Dwyer (257) points out, capitalism arose out of Adam Smith's laissez-faire principle, which advocated that people be left alone to pursue their own interests. On the other hand, thinkers such as Marx and Engels viewed both capitalism and the socialism and communism that would follow it, as merely a historical process that was independent of individual actions.
             However, the nineteenth century condition cannot be narrowed to a dispute between capitalism and socialism. For instance, thinkers like Dickens and Weber were between either extreme. They liked certain capitalist ideologies, but not their outcome. In their writing, they embodied a new form of liberalism that Dwyer calls ...