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資本主義とは

 

社会主義とは

 

 共産主義とは

共通点

人間の欲を甘く見て深く考えなかった主義主張です。

What is capitalism?

The history of capitalism is widely interpreted depending on its origin, definition, and stage of development, but it can be roughly understood as follows.

Origin:

Commercial capitalism (from around the 14th century): The period in medieval Europe when merchants began to accumulate wealth through long-distance trade and financial services.

Industrial capitalism (from around the 18th century): The period when the Industrial Revolution led to the development of factory-based mechanical industries and the establishment of a system in which capitalists employed workers to produce goods.

Stages of development:

Laissez-faire (19th century): A philosophy that emphasizes market mechanisms and minimizes government intervention.

Modified capitalism (first half of the 20th century): A period after the Great Depression, when governments began to actively intervene in the economy.

Welfare state (second half of the 20th century): A philosophy that aims to improve social security systems and correct income disparities.

Global capitalism (late 20th century): A period when globalization progressed and multinational corporations came to have a major influence on the world economy.
Neoliberalism (late 20th century~): A philosophy that revives market fundamentalism and promotes deregulation and privatization.

Modern capitalism:

Information capitalism: An era in which information and knowledge become important resources due to the development of IT technology.

Platform capitalism: An era in which companies provide services through online platforms and build huge wealth.

Stakeholder capitalism: A philosophy that companies should fulfill their responsibilities not only to shareholders but also to various stakeholders such as employees, customers, and local communities.

More information on the history of capitalism:

Books:
Jurgen Kocka, "The History of Capitalism: Origins, Expansion, and Present"
Eric Hobsbawm, "The Age of Capitalism"
Website:
Diamond Online, "How did capitalism come into being? A 3-minute read on the history of the birth of the 'competitive society'" https://diamond.jp/articles/-/60471

The history of capitalism is constantly changing. New forms of capitalism are being sought to solve the problems facing modern capitalism (widening inequality, environmental problems, etc.).

If you need more information, please refer to the above resources or ask specific questions.

What is Socialism?

The history of socialism can be broadly divided into the following periods.

1. Early Socialism (late 18th century to early 19th century)

The idea of ​​a more equal society was born against the backdrop of the widening gap between rich and poor and the poor working conditions of workers caused by the Industrial Revolution.

Representative thinkers:

Robert Owen (England): advocated the establishment of cooperatives and the improvement of working conditions.

Henri de Saint-Simon (France): advocated social reform through the development of science and technology.

Charles Fourier (France): envisioned the ideal community of the "phalanstere."

2. Scientific Socialism (mid-19th century to early 20th century)

Proposed by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.

Analyzed the contradictions of capitalist society and advocated a revolution by the working class and the construction of a socialist society.

The Communist Manifesto (1848) and Das Kapital (1867-) were published, which had a major impact on the world.

3. Socialism in Practice (20th Century)

The Russian Revolution of 1917 gave birth to the Soviet Union, the world's first socialist state.
After World War II, socialist governments were established around the world, including in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
However, Soviet-style socialism had problems such as economic stagnation and political oppression, and after the Eastern European Revolution of 1989, the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

4. Diversification of Socialism (late 20th century to present)

After the collapse of Soviet-style socialism, forms of socialism have diversified.
China has introduced a market economy while maintaining a one-party system of Communist rule.
Northern European countries have realized a society with high welfare and high tax burdens based on social democracy.
Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Bolivia are exploring their own unique form of socialism, known as 21st century socialism.

The history of socialism is a trail of ideas and movements that aimed to realize an equal society, and the search for this goal continues in various forms even today.

If you would like to know more about any era, region, or thinker, please feel free to ask us.

What is Communism?

Communism is an ideology, movement, and system that denies private ownership of the means of production and the gap between rich and poor in capitalist society, and aims for the sharing of the means of production and social equality.

The main characteristics are as follows.

Sharing of the means of production: The aim is to share the means of production, such as land, factories, and machines, with the entire society, rather than private ownership. This is believed to prevent the monopoly of wealth by a few capitalists, and to carry out production activities for the benefit of the entire society.

Class struggle: The conflict between the capitalist class and the working class is regarded as a fundamental contradiction in society, and the aim is to overthrow capitalist society through revolution by the working class and build a communist society.

Planned economy: The economy is run by planned production and distribution by the state, rather than by market principles. It is believed that this will enable efficient use of resources and production that meets the needs of the entire society.

Social equality: We aim to realize an equal society without differences between rich and poor. We aim to provide basic services such as education, medical care, and housing free of charge, so that everyone can enjoy equal opportunities and a standard of living.

Communism is based on the "scientific socialism" advocated by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and communist systems were established in many countries, including the Soviet Union and China, in the 20th century. However, problems such as economic stagnation and political oppression arose, and Soviet-style socialism collapsed.

Today, there are various forms of communism, such as countries like China that have introduced a market economy but maintain a one-party system of communist rule, and countries like the Nordic countries that realize a high-welfare, high-tax society based on social democracy.

Communism is an ideology that aims to realize an ideal society, and it still sparks various discussions and movements today.

Common points

It is a doctrine that underestimates human desires and does not give them much thought.