Kapitalisme

Kapitalisme is 'n ekonomiese stelsel waar mense vry is om hul arbeid en ware teen die hoogste prys wat hulle daarvoor kan kry, te verkoop. Die regering meng so min moontlik met die stelsel in. Kapitalisme gee mag aan diegene wat rykdom het en diegene wat dit beheer. Privaat eiendom is 'n basiese deel van hierdie rykdom. Die belangrikste uitdagings vir die kapitalistiese stelsel gedurende die eerste helfte van die twintigste eeu was onder meer die stigting van die eerste kommunistiese staat en die wêreldwye Depressie van die vroeë 1930's.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Ekonome, politieke ekonome en geskiedskrywers huldig verskillende sieninge in hul ontledings van kapitalisme en verskeie vorme word in die praktyk aanvaar. Hierby ingesluit is:

• die laissez-faire of Vrye mark-kapitalisme,
• welsyns-kapitalisme en,
• staats-kapitalisme.

Die verskillende vorme van kapitalisme word bepaal volgens die vlakke van die vrye mark, openbare eienaarskap,^[6] struikelblokke vir gesonde kompetisie, en staats-goedgekeurde sosiale beleid. Die mate van mededinging in die markte, die rol van inmenging en regulering, en die omvang van staatseienaarskap is divers in die verskillende modelle van kapitalisme.^[7] Die omvang waarmee die verskillende markte vry mag handel dryf, sowel as die maatreëls wat vir privaat eienaarskap neergelê word, is kwessies vir staatsbeleid. Die meeste bestaande kapitalistiese ekonomieë is gemengde ekonomieë, wat elemente van die vrye mark met staatsbetrokkenheid kombineer, en in sommige gevalle, met ekonomiese beplanning.^[8]

Kapitalisme het al onder baie soorte van regerings, in verskillende tye, plekke en kulture gefloreer. Met die val van merkantilisme het gemengde kapitalistiese stelsels in die Westerse wêreld dominant geraak en is steeds aan die uitbrei.^[9]

Volgens die ekonoom, Joseph Schumpeter, is kapitalisme tot dusver die suksesvolste ekonomiese stelsel omdat 'n totale bevolking daarby baat vind met die verbetering van hul lewenstandaard. Hy reken dat kapitalisme rykdom skep deur gedurig na hoër vlakke van produktiwiteit en tegnologiese gesofistikeerdheid te reik. Dié sogenaamde kreatiewe verwoesting vereis dat die "oue" eers verwoes moet word voordat die "nuwe" beheer oorneem.^[10]

1. ↑ Zimbalist, Sherman and Brown, Andrew, Howard J. and Stuart (Oktober 1988). Comparing Economic Systems: A Political-Economic Approach. Harcourt College Pub. pp. 6–7. ISBN 978-0-15-512403-5. Pure capitalism is defined as a system wherein all of the means of production (physical capital) are privately owned and run by the capitalist class for a profit, while most other people are workers who work for a salary or wage (and who do not own the capital or the product).{{cite book}}: AS1-onderhoud: meer as een naam (link)
2. ↑ Rosser, Mariana V. and J Barkley Jr. (23 Julie 2003). Comparative Economics in a Transforming World Economy. MIT Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-262-18234-8. In capitalist economies, land and produced means of production (the capital stock) are owned by private individuals or groups of private individuals organized as firms.
3. ↑ Chris Jenks.
4. ↑ Gregory and Stuart, Paul and Robert (28 Februarie 2013). The Global Economy and its Economic Systems. South-Western College Pub. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-285-05535-0. Capitalism is characterized by private ownership of the factors of production. Decision making is decentralized and rests with the owners of the factors of production. Their decision making is coordinated by the market, which provides the necessary information. Material incentives are used to motivate participants.
5. ↑ "an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by supply and demand, and competition within a free market"
6. ↑ Gregory and Stuart, Paul and Robert (28 Februarie 2013). The Global Economy and its Economic Systems. South-Western College Pub. p. 107. ISBN 978-1-285-05535-0. Real-world capitalist systems are mixed, some having higher shares of public ownership than others. The mix changes when privatization or nationalization occurs. Privatization is when property that had been state-owned is transferred to private owners. Nationalization occurs when privately owned property becomes publicly owned.
7. ↑ Macmillan Dictionary of Modern Economics, 3rd Ed., 1986, p. 54.
8. ↑ Stilwell, Frank.
9. ↑ LaHaye, Laura (2008). "Mercantilism". The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. Library of Economics and Liberty [Online]: Liberty Fund. 
10. ↑ Gilpin, Robert (2000). The Challenge of Global Capitalism: The World Economy in the 21st Century. Princeton University: Princeton University Press. Introduction. ISBN 978-0-691-09279-9.