During the rise of socialism during the turn of the 20th century, were there ever instances of rich elites, nobles or even landed gentry giving up their incomes and titles to the socialist cause? Possibly renouncing their privileged status to become revolutionaries or similar?
I was thinking specifically about England because I'm more familiar with that history, but any examples would be of interest. I'm thinking generally about the late 1800s to 1920s. If my question is too vague I would appreciate any suggestions on how to improve it. Any references are appreciated, as I'm very interested in the political, economic and cultural upheaval of that time period generally.
Thank you for your time.
Edward Carpenter (1844-1929) was an English socialist who might interest you.
Carpenter wasn't nobility, but he was born into a very fashionable, staunchly upper middle class family in Brighton and was the grandson of a naval admiral. Growing up, he always disliked navigating the obligations and artifices of 'polite society' and was frustrated by his sisters' focus on balls, dresses, and marriage prospects. Carpenter was very clever, and attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He won a clerical fellowship, but left his post after just a few years. He went to teach as part of the University Extension Movement in the north of England, and he felt much more at home among the farmers and factory workers of the North than with the tea parties and theatre evenings he knew in the South. He lived with middle and working class friends at this time, and was heavily influenced by Walt Whitman's blend of homoeroticism, the everyman, and comradeship.
When his parents passed away, Carpenter used his sizeable inheritance to build a home at Millthorpe near Sheffield. It certainly wasn't a hovel, but it was simpler and more rustic than the house full of servants in which he had grown up in Sussex. At Millthorpe, Carpenter was known for skinny dipping, doing all his writing outside (whatever the time of year), and selling sandals. He also wore said sandals pretty much all the time. Unfortunately, [he also made the classic mistake of pairing them with socks](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Edward_Carpenter_(1905).jpg). He was a vegetarian and ate simply, and had a telescope. He also loved sunbathing. Carpenter was very romantically interested in working class men, and he settled down with a younger working class man named George Merrill. All this, of course, was very much un-upper middle class.
Carpenter tried his best to erase his upper-middle-classness, but he was never quite able to. Mindful of being polite, he once chided George Merrill for swearing in front of a child. His home at Millthorpe was enabled by his large inheritance and would have been out of the question for a working class person to build. Still, he insisted vehemently, 'I'm not a gentleman', and socialism was the inspiration for this denial of his privileged class roots.
Source: Sheila Rowbotham, Edward Carpenter: A Life of Liberty and Love (London: Verso, 2008)
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