Was Charles Dickens a socialist?

This can be argued in two ways. It can be said that he was a socialist, as many of his works tend to address some of the social issues of the time and fall into what we would refer to “socialism” today. The views that things should be distributed equally, as seen in works such as A Christmas Carol, have left many arguing that he wanted to see this happen in the Victorian England that he was living in.

However, it can also be argued that he was a capitalist. Dickens was a rather complex man who was not always very open-handed with what he owned. After his death, he was generous to several friends and included his mistress and estranged wife in his will, he did not go out of his way to “redistribute” what he had worked for during his lifetime. He amassed a decent amount of money due to his writings, but lived within his means and saved what he could.

Additionally, he did have a soft spot for those who were in hard situations. Events such as his upbringing and the possible embarrassment that he felt over his father having been in debtors prison, along with the long hours he worked in a warehouse, gave him an inside look into the rougher parts of society. While Dickens may have wanted some change and better conditions for those who were hard pressed, there is no clear indication that he was a socialist.