The Democratic Association of Victoria was the first

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

organisation in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The group was founded in February 1872, but it lasted less than a year. Its political outlook was largely

utopian socialist Utopian socialism is the term often used to describe the first current of modern socialism and socialist thought as exemplified by the work of Henri de Saint-Simon, Charles Fourier, Étienne Cabet, and Robert Owen. Utopian socialism is often de ...

. The group borrowed more inspiration from

Robert Owen Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted e ...

Charles Fourier François Marie Charles Fourier (;; 7 April 1772 – 10 October 1837) was a French philosopher, an influential early socialist thinker and one of the founders of utopian socialism. Some of Fourier's social and moral views, held to be radical in ...

and

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...

rather than

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

and

Friedrich Engels Friedrich Engels ( ,"Engels"
'' The Communist Manifesto ''The Communist Manifesto'', originally the ''Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (german: Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei), is a political pamphlet written by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Commissioned by the Comm ...

'' in some sections of its programme.McIlroy, Jim.
Australia's First Socialists
'. p. 10 The organisation became the Australian section of the

International Working Men's Association The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, communist and anarchist groups and tr ...

in September 1872, the international organisation led by Marx (the 'First International').Percy, John Knowles.
1965 - 72: Resistance
'. A history of the Democratic Socialist Party and Resistance / John Percy, Vol. 1. Chippendale, NSW: Resistance Books, 2005. p. 14 George Scammel Manns was the Secretary of DAV. The group published the journal ''The Internationalist'' between February-August 1872.Groenewegen, Peter D., and Bruce J. McFarlane.
A History of Australian Economic Thought
'. Routledge history of economic thought series. London: Routledge, 1990. p. 36 The launching of DAV was received with negative reactions from the local mainstream press (which also had expressed hysterical reactions towards the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

). DAV had connections with

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

groups. It also established a cooperative store and a Needlewomen's Cooperative. After the dissolution of Democratic Association of Victoria, ten months after its founding, it would take a decade until socialism would re-emerge as an organised force. During this period, however, there were many different democratic, republican and pro-land reform groups active.Merlyn, Teri.
Writing Revolution
'' The Democratic Association of Victoria produced some offshoots, such as Victorian Cooperative Association and the Land Tenure Reform League.

References

{{Political parties in Victoria (Australia) 1872 establishments in Australia 1873 disestablishments in Australia Defunct political parties in Victoria (Australia) Defunct socialist parties Political parties disestablished in 1873 Political parties established in 1872 Socialist parties in Australia

See also

References