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Revision as of 16:06, 17 January 2002 by 62.253.64.xxx (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The word Capitalism is used for many different meanings, sometimes opposite ones. However, most of them are variants on the definition economic system where capital goods belong to private individuals.
An opposing term would thus be collectivism (and variants).
Capitalism and political ideologies
There are many different and opposite ideologies that value capitalism:
- libertarianism (sometimes also called classical liberalism) defends a "pure" form of capitalism with minimal State intervention.
- conservatism varies depending on countries in its specific stances, but in western countries, usually defends something not unlike the status quo of current capitalist practices (see political conservatism).
- mercantilism defend state intervention to protect domestic commerce and industries against foreign competition (see protectionism).
- social democracy argues for extended state regulation and partial intervention in a capitalist background (see welfare state, political liberalism, liberal democracy, new liberalism).
Beyond economical matters, see also the more general opposition between individualism and collectivism.
See also
- Related topics: History of Economic Thought.
- Related words: capitalist.
- Related ideologies: classical liberalism (libertarianism, minarchism, anarcho-capitalism), conservatism (political conservatism), mercantilism, protectionism, social democracy (welfare state, liberalism, political liberalism, liberal democracy), state interventionism, socialism, fascism, communism, libertarian socialism.