Charles Hall (1740–1825) was a British physician,

social critic Social criticism is a form of academic or journalistic criticism focusing on social issues in contemporary society, in respect to perceived injustices and power relations in general. Social criticism of the Enlightenment The origin of modern ...

and

Ricardian socialist Ricardian socialism is a branch of classical economic thought based upon the work of the economist David Ricardo (1772–1823). Despite Ricardo being a capitalist economist, the term is used to describe economists in the 1820s and 1830s who dev ...

who published ''The Effects of Civilization on the People in European States'' in 1805, condemning capitalism for its inability to provide for the poor. In the book, Hall argued that inequalities in wealth and the production of luxuries resulted in the exploitation of the poor, and their suffering. Hall famously claimed that the exploitation of the poor was so severe that they "retained only the product of one hour's work out of eight". As a remedy for the problems in society, Hall proposed

land reform Land reform (also known as agrarian reform) involves the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership, land use, and land transfers. The reforms may be initiated by governments, by interested groups, or by revolution. Lan ...

and

progressive taxation A progressive tax is a tax in which the tax rate increases as the taxable amount increases. The term ''progressive'' refers to the way the tax rate progresses from low to high, with the result that a taxpayer's average tax rate is less than the ...

. His opinions and economic theory, particularly his opinions concerning the exploitation of the poor, were important to the development of

Marxism Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, ...

, and have caused many to consider him one of the earliest socialists.

Biography

Hall was born in England about 1740, and studied medicine at the

University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange as a Protestant institution, it holds the distinction of being the oldest university in the Neth ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. After completing his medical studies, Hall practised in the

West Country The West Country is a loosely defined area within southwest England, usually taken to include the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Bristol, with some considering it to extend to all or parts of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and ...

of England, where he acquired "intimate knowledge of the living conditions of the poor". Hall read the theories of a number of influential

classical economists Classical economics, also known as the classical school of economics, or classical political economy, is a school of thought in political economy that flourished, primarily in Britain, in the late 18th and early-to-mid 19th century. It includes ...

, including

Malthus Thomas Robert Malthus (; 13/14 February 1766 – 29 December 1834) was an English economist, cleric, and scholar influential in the fields of political economy and demography. In his 1798 book ''An Essay on the Principle of Population'', Mal ...

David Ricardo David Ricardo (18 April 1772 – 11 September 1823) was a British political economist, politician, and member of Parliament. He is recognized as one of the most influential classical economists, alongside figures such as Thomas Malthus, Ada ...

and

Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptised 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as the "father of economics"——— or ...

. While he disagreed with many of the ideas of classical economics, they evidently influenced his thinking. Hall's thinking was also influenced by his friendship with the land-socialization advocate Thomas Spence, with whom he corresponded regularly. Hall relocated around throughout his career, but probably spent most of his life in

Tavistock, Devon Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in the West Devon district, in the county of Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy, from which its name derives. At the United Kingdom 2011 Census, 2011 census, t ...

, practising medicine. In 1785, he published ''The Family Medical Instructor'', a medical reference book. Thereafter, his publications were primarily economic in nature. In 1805, he published his principal work, ''The Effects of Civilization'', followed by ''Observations on the Principal Conclusion in Mr. Malthus's Essay on Population'' in 1813. In 1816, Hall was arrested for failure to pay a debt of £157, and he spent the next nine years in the

Fleet Prison Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the River Fleet. The prison was built in 1197, was rebuilt several times, and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846. History The prison was built in 1197 off what is now ...

, before being released on 21 June 1825. While the exact date of his death is uncertain, it is believed that he died soon thereafter.

''The Effects of Civilization''

After witnessing costly

food prices Food prices refer to the average price level for food across countries, regions and on a global scale. Food prices affect producers and consumers of food. Price levels depend on the food production process, including food marketing and food di ...

and food shortages in England from 1795 to 1801, Hall began to write ''The Effects of Civilization on the People in European States'', which set forth his economic theories. Hall argued that the main cause of food shortage was that too few people worked in agriculture, and too many were employed in trade and manufacturing. From that argument, Hall proceeded to his definition of wealth, arguing that "wealth consists not in things but in power over the labour of others".

The cause of shortages

From his definition of wealth, Hall argued that the problem of poverty in civilised societies derived from the ability of the wealthy, through their control of the labour of others, to determine what is produced. Because the wealthy quickly provide for their own necessities, they spend their surplus on luxuries, which "make it possible for a rich man to consume and destroy infinitely more of the produce of other men's labours than he would be able to do if only foodstuffs and basic necessities were available". Because the rich exploit the poor to produce their luxuries, Hall argued that "the wealth of the rich and the misery of the poor increase in strict proportion". Thus, the increasing power of the rich is the cause of the suffering of the poor.

Statistics

In addition to developing a theoretical model in ''The Effects of Civilization'', Hall attempted to use scientific methods and government statistics to provide evidence for his opinion. According to his estimates, the top 20% of society, the rich, consumed seven eighths of what was produced by the poor, leaving the poor with only one eighth of what they had produced. Later scholars, however, have computed that the inequalities described by Hall were not quite so severe.

Remedies

After describing the cause of poverty, Hall proposed several remedies. Hall was a strong proponent of

to end the inequalities of society and also argued that if

marriages Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

between two people who owned land were prohibited, wealth would gradually spread more evenly throughout society. Most importantly, on the basis of his argument that luxuries caused the suffering of the poor, Hall argued that luxury goods "should be prohibited, or subject to punitive taxation". Hall believed that his remedies were "readily practicable" and would improve the station of the poor but that they were unlikely to solve the problems of society completely.

Legacy

Hall is regarded widely as important to the development of

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

thought, and

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

referred to him as "a true phenomenon in the history of economic thought". Hall was also an important precursor of

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist, Social philosophy, social philosopher and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of ...

and one of the first modern land reformers. Many scholars also identify Hall as one of the "first of the early socialists" and one of the first thinkers to recognise the importance of surplus value and rents to societal inequality.