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Compare capitalism to communism
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Compare capitalism to communism
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The economy of the United States of America is a capitalist economy. It is a place where entrepreneurs and business-people alike can not only strive, but also make their dreams come true. Capitalism, in some detail, is a free market system, where the goods of the society are not owned by the governmental body, but by the businesses, and people; the prices of this system are in turn determined by supply and demand, rather than set by a ruling power (Merriam-Webster). Unfortunately, like most things that govern us, it has its opposites. One such opposite, and rather ruthless enemy, is communism.
Ruthless is a harsh word to describe something with such a simple roots: “[t]he word communist comes from the word community. It means that the public at large, and not the individual, owns property and that the benefits are distributed for the common good” (Winder). Though this seems simple enough, like capitalism, it is complicated. Because the community, and generally the authoritarian government behind that community, owns everything, the prices, goods, and wages are all regulated. This means that the individual cannot compete effectively, and take control of a specific aspect of the economy. This sounds like a good thing, unless you consider that the entrepreneurs and innovators of our capitalist society need that competition to succeed. As Lucy Turnbull, a prominent economic leader, and former Lord Mayor of Sydney states, “[t]he best mechanism for realizing the infinite ingenuity of humankind is the market itself” (Turnbull). If the market were not free, our potential for bettering ourselves would be limited. This pushes the point that the capitalism is the better choice when it comes to a population’s economy.
When considered for ...
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...pply hundreds of thousands of people with a new service. It will always be what the United States of America has fought for, and grown with, and American or not, it will always be there when you want to be a part of the economy.
Works Cited
Jamieson, Bill. “Capitalism rises phoenix-like from the ashes.” Scotland on Sunday Sept. 2008: 15. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.
Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, inc., n.d. web. 24 Nov. 2011.
Turnbull, Lucy. “Capitalism is still the only system that works.” Sydney Morning Herald
Aug. 2010: 11 LexisNexis Academic. Web. 19 Oct. 2011.
“Taxing America’s Largest Corporations.” Diagram. Mint.com. Mint Software, inc., 2011. Web. 1 Dec. 2011.
Winder, David. "Communism: the theory and some of the countries that practice it." Christian Science Monitor. August 27, 1984: n. pag. LexisNexus Academic. Web. 23 Nov. 2011.
America, throughout the ages, has always despised Communism and Communistic beliefs; however, during the 20s to around the 90s, there was a deeper hatred for Communism and a fear that lingered in most Americans’ hearts. Communism is a political theory that was derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs. The majority of Americans strongly disagreed with
Throughout the 19th century, capitalism seemed like an economic utopia for some, but on the other hand some saw it as a troublesome whirlpool that would lead to bigger problems. The development of capitalism in popular countries such as in England brought the idea that the supply and demand exchange systems could work in most trade based countries. Other countries such as Russia thought that the proletariats and bourgeoisie could not co-exist with demand for power and land, and eventually resorted to communism in the early 20th century. Although many different systems were available to the countries in need of economic change, a majority of them found the right system for their needs. And when capitalist societies began to take full swing, some classes did not benefit as well as others and this resulted in a vast amount of proletariats looking for work. Capitalists societies are for certain a win-loss system, and many people did not like the change from having there society changed to a government controlled money hungry system. On the other hand, the demand for labor brought the bourgeoisie large profits because they could pay out as much as they wanted for labor.
Kovaly says "It is often said that power corrupts, but I think that what corrupted people in our country was not the power alone but the fear that accompanied it." (p.71) Communist nation's ruling class tend to be greedy since it is impossible for classes that are beneath them to gain any insight into how the nation truly works. One last underlying cause of why post-war victims disliked the idea of communism was because there was no personal freedom. Capitalist societies often take for granted many personal freedoms that are completely eliminated under Communist regimes. Freedom of speech is completely taken away, and those who criticize any workings of their government are often subject to severe and very harsh punishments.
Not only in the U.S., but also worldwide we see this economic philosophy losing its appeal. This can be attributed to technological advancement, which has created an average level of affluence unknown to any previous time. The strength and aid of the non-Communist countries has persuaded developing nations to form capitalist, constitutional governments similar to those in place. Furthermore, in societies where Communism was attempted, there was a large degree of scarcity and inequality, not to mention the coercive nature of the governments attempting Communism. Finally, in all societies where Communism was attempted the preconditions that Marx set forth were not met. For example, Russia was not a largely industrial and capitalist society prior to the attempt at Communism; nor were they a highly intellectual or accomplished society. Rather, the society prior to the attempt was a feudalist government comprised of a Czar, much like a king, and nobility, not a capitalist upper class.
To begin, capitalism is the economic ideology that everything is primarily focused towards making profit through the production and distribution of a product. In the article “Capitalism: Where Do We Come From?” By Robert Heilbroner and Lester Thurow, they provide insight on how capitalism has changed over the years and the impact it now has in today’s society. “There were no factors of production before capitalism. Of course, human labour, nature’s gift of land and natural resources, and the artifacts of society have always existed. But labour, land, and capital were not commodities for sale” (Para,17). Capitalism has an impact in my life because in the 21st century children are taught in school skills that will benefit businesses, so that they can continue to make a profit through the production and distribution
The "Communist Manifesto" Mountain View College Reader. Neuleib, Janice. A. Cain S., of Kathleen. Ruffus, Stephen. The.
Capitalism is an economic system where people and private businesses are able to control their own trade and means of production for profit. It emerged as technology, production and trade began to increase. During the industrial revolution, capitalism started to influence people more. Some characteristics of capitalism are capital accumulation, competitive markets and wage labor. The government isn’t supposed to interfere with trade. Individual markets raise or lower their prices due to competition and demand for goods. There has been a lot of debate over the usefulness of capitalism. Some believed capitalism had negative effects while others saw more benefits. Adam Smith and Andrew Carnegie pushed for a capitalistic society, but had different beliefs on how economic wealth should be distributed; Karl Marx advocated for a communistic society where wealth was evenly distributed.
Divisions within the social stratum is a characteristic of societies in various cultures and has been present throughout history. During the middle ages, the medieval feudal system prevailed, characterized by kings and queens reigning over the peasantry. Similarly, in today’s society, corporate feudalism, otherwise known as Capitalism, consists of wealthy elites dominating over the working poor. Class divisions became most evident during America’s Gilded Age and Progressive era, a period in time in which the rich became richer via exploitation of the fruits of labor that the poor persistently toiled to earn. As a result, many Americans grew compelled to ask the question on everyone’s mind: what do the rich owe the poor? According to wealthy
Richard sennet, 2006. The culture of of the new capitalism. Yale university press. Pg 10-14
America has a capitalist economic system that allows private ownership of business and property. This freedom allows citizens the opportunity for financial success. All businesses and institutions of the Russian socialist economy were owned, regulated, and operated by the government.
Lynn Harsh (Nov. 2002). ‘Capitalism – A Deal with the Devil?’. Retrieved on Mar. 23 from:
...e happy. However, Carl argued that now more than ever people are questioning capitalism. It is important to question and critique our current capitalistic system. The current system in place is alienating workers and places too much emphasis on profit and the modes of production. There are extensive problems and repercussions that must be death within a profit-driven society. We should be working towards a system that is driven by what is needed not what is profitable. A profit-driven system can lead to over-accumulation and production of items that are actually not required because of over-production. We need to undergo change in order to construct a form of social and economic life based on production for need, not production for profit. This means that a system must be created that has a focus on democratic planning, worker-self management, and global solidarity.
In his book, Postmodernism or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism, Fredric Jameson drawing from the work of another Marxist theoretician Ernest Mandel, divides capitalism into three distinct periods post “the ‘original’ industrial revolution of the later 18th century” [emphasis in original](Jameson 35). Closely linked to the improvement in the means of production, i.e. technological development, the three stages of evolution of capitalism according to Jameson and Mandel are: ‘Market or competitive capitalism’ driven by the steam motors introduced in 1848; ‘Monopoly capitalism’ backed by the huge corporations using electric and combustion motors at the turn of 19th century; and the nuclear and electronic-powered machinery of ‘late capitalism’ that comes to fore in the wake of World War II (Jameson 35-36). Adding nuance to this last phase of late capitalism, David Harvey suggests that late capitalism and its guiding economic logic- Fordism culminates post World War II, but is able to push through for another a decade or so till it falls into crisis during the recession of 1973 (Harvey 124). This crisis of Fordism leads to the development of a more robust strain of capitalism, sometimes called postindustrial or post-Fordist. Harvey refers to this new brand of capitalism as ‘flexible accumulation’ which is characterized by a new, more global and m...
It is clear that capitalism is more advantageous than communism in every aspect in the economy. All stakeholders such as common people, state, government, banks, and investors will benefit more in a capitalist economy. The best way to describe a communist economy is as an old lady who is demotivated in her life and just wants to eat and sleep, while a capitalist economy can be described as a motivated young man who wants to keep achieving more and more in his life.
Janos, Andrew C. “What was Communism: A Retrospective in Comparative Analysis.” Communist and Post- Communist Studies Volume 29 (1996): 1-24. Print.