Socialism saw the problem of industrial society not only as poverty but as what?

Correct answer: The problem of exploitation and class relations

The correct answer is C. Socialist thinkers argued that workers' poverty was produced by the organisation of industrial society, not merely by bad luck or temporary shortage. Owners controlled factories and capital, while workers sold their labour for wages and often received only a small part of the value created by production. This unequal relationship was understood as exploitation and as a conflict between social classes. Socialists therefore proposed collective action, regulation, cooperation or common ownership to change the structure of production. Options A, B and D are unrelated to the economic relationship between capital and labour. The question tests whether poverty is understood as a structural class problem rather than an isolated personal condition.