distributism

[ dih-strib-yoo-tiz-uhm ]

noun

1. a socioeconomic theory and system advocating widespread ownership of private property and the means of production: based on late 19th-century Catholic teachings on economic and social justice.

Other Words From

• dis·tribu·tist noun adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of distributism¹

First recorded in 1920–25; distribut(e) + -ism

Example Sentences

Ben Abbes, the friendly Islamic politician who ushers in France’s Islamic era, is revealed late in the book to favor an economic model called distributism—an idea developed by English Catholic intellectuals at the turn of the century.

From Slate

In “Submission,” the Islamic authority, with the author’s felt approval, turns toward Chestertonian distributism, with large enterprises denied subsidy and small artisanal ones encouraged.

From The New Yorker

They both criticised capitalism and socialism and favoured their own doctrine: distributism.

From BBC

He espoused "Distributism," a warm-hearted and thoroughly impractical program that recalled the days of yeomanry, when every man had three acres and a cow.

From Time Magazine Archive

Chesterton's anti-industrial theory of "Distributism" led him to Rome.

From Time Magazine Archive