Socialism refers to economic and political arrangements that emphasize public or community ownership of productive property. Productive property includes land, factories, and other property used to produce goods and services. All societies have practiced some form of public ownership. But the term socialism, as it is used today, first appeared in Europe in the 1800's. At that time, socialist thinkers contrasted the idea of socialism with the newly developed idea of capitalism. Many socialists were also concerned by the disruptions in people's lives caused by the Industrial Revolution, a period of rapid industrialization that had begun in the 1700's. See Industrial Revolution.