From idealism to vitalism

This chapter explores the emergence of “the Religion of Socialism” between 1871 and 1914, tracing how socialists across Europe and America reimagined their movement as a moral, emotional, and even spiritual alternative to Christianity. Beginning with the philosophies of Dietzgen, Liebknecht, and Bax, the chapter examines how socialist thought adopted religious language to express humanist and ethical ideals. It follows this tradition through British and American expressions, Wagnerian aesthetics, and Austrian social democracy, where socialist rituals and symbolism transformed political commitment into collective faith. The chapter concludes by identifying a shift from idealist unity towards vitalist, aesthetic, and mythic forms of socialist religiosity.