Students of United States history, seeking to identify the circumstances that encouraged
the emergence of feminist movements, have thoroughly investigated the mid-nineteenth-
century American economic and social conditions that affected the status of women.
These historians, however, have analyzed less fully the development of specifically
feminist ideas and activities during the same period. Furthermore, the ideological
origins of feminism in the United States have been obscured because, even when historians
did take into account those feminist ideas and activities occurring within the United
States, they failed to recognize that feminism was then a truly international movement
actually centered in Europe. American feminist activists who have been described as
"solitary" and "individual theorists" were in reality connected to a movement -utopian
socialism--which was already popularizing feminist ideas in Europe during the two decades
that culminated inthe first women's rights conference held at Seneca Falls. New York,
in 1848. Thus, a complete understanding of the origins and development of nineteenth-
century feminism in the United Statesrequires that the geographical focus be widened
to include Europe and that the detailed study already made of social conditions be
expanded to include the ideological development of feminism.　　
The earliest and most popular of the utopian socialists were the Saint-Simonians.
The specifically feminist part of Saint-Simonianism has, however, been less studied
than the group's contribution toearly socialism. This is regrettable on two counts.
By 1832 feminism was the central concern ofSaint-Simonianism and entirely absorbed
its adherents' energy; hence, by ignoring its feminism. European historians have
misunderstood Saint-Simonianism. Moreover, since many feminist ideascan be traced
to Saint-Simonianism, European historians' appreciation of later feminism in Franceand
the United States remained limited.　　Saint-Simon's followers, many of whom were women,
based their feminism on an interpretation ofhis project to reorganize the globe by
replacing brute force with the rule of spiritual powers. Thenew world order would be
ruled together by a male, to represent reflection, and a female, to represent sentiment.
This complementarity reflects the fact that, while the Saint-Simonians did not reject
the belief that there were innate differences between men and women, they nevertheless
foresaw an equally important social and political role for both sexes in their Utopia.
　　Only a few Saint-Simonians opposed a definition of sexual equality based on gender
distinction. This minority believed that individuals of both sexes were born similar in
capacity and character, and they ascribed male-female differences to socialization and
education. The envisioned result of both currents of thought, however, was that women
would enter public life in the new age and that sexual equality would reward men as
well as women with an improved way of life.