"Capitalism" defined as the economic system of the private ownership of capital goods, is distinct from "capitalism" as an ideology, that is the philosophical advocacy of that economic system. Some philosophies argue that capitalism as a system and capitalism as an ideology go hand in hand. This view is often founded upon the Marxian idea that ideology is largely a consequence of underlying economic realities. Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Capitalism Capitalism has been defined in various ways. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Marxian economics refers to a body of economic thought stemming from the work of Karl Marx. ...

As with most ideologically laden words, "capitalism" has many meanings, especially in the latter sense. What a Marxist or Green would describe as capitalist ideology may seem thoroughly alien to what an advocate of laissez-faire liberalism means by the term. Anarcho-capitalism's definition of "capitalism" is incompatible with the existence of a state, while the view of conservatism is that capitalism absolutely needs a state. Even Marx's contention that capitalism is the natural ideology of the class of business owners (i.e. capitalists) is itself controversial. Indeed, Adam Smith looked on the tradesman class with suspicion, and warned that they would engage in attempts to fix prices, gain government monopolies, or attempt to stifle competition. Marxism is the social theory and political practice based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... Greens are people who support some or all of goals of a Green Party without necessarily working with or voting for that or any party. ... Laissez-faire is short for laissez faire, laissez passer, a French phrase meaning to let things alone, let them pass. First used by the eighteenth century Physiocrats as an injunction against government interference with trade, it is now used as a synonym for strict free market economics. ... This article discusses liberalism as a major political ideology as it developed and stands currently. ... Anarcho-capitalism refers to an anti-statist philosophy that embraces capitalism as one of its foundational principles. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Adam Smith, FRSE (Baptised June 5, 1723 – July 17, 1790) was a Scottish political economist and moral philosopher. ...

Within a certain ideology, the meaning of "capitalism" normally remains constant. Thus, for example, all Marxists mean the same thing when they say "capitalism". Between ideologies, however, the meaning of "capitalism" can vary. When a libertarian says "capitalism", for instance, he is usually not talking about precisely the same thing as the Marxist who says "capitalism". Marxism is the social theory and political practice based on the works of Karl Marx, a 19th century German philosopher, economist, journalist, and revolutionary, along with Friedrich Engels. ... This article is about the liberal individualist philosophy that strongly emphasizes private property rights conjoined with civil liberties. ...

There can be great confusion amongst these meanings, and readers must be careful of which meaning a writer intends in any particular usage. The closer a notion of "capitalism" is to the core of an ideology (either in support or in opposition) the more likely writers within that ideology will have a specific technical definition in mind, which might conflict with other ideologies' definitions of the same term. Therefore, different ideologies that support "capitalism" may not support exactly the same thing, and different ideologies that oppose "capitalism" may not oppose exactly the same thing either. Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Capitalism Capitalism has been defined in various ways. ...

At least one basic feature of the economic system known as "capitalism" is agreed upon by all ideologies and viewpoints - both those who support and those who oppose it. This basic feature is that capitalism involves private property over capital goods (the "means of production"). Beyond this one feature, however, there is no agreement on what other criteria an economic system needs to meet in order to be considered "capitalism". For this reason, capitalism is often used as a straw man or a shibboleth, to damn or justify almost any imaginable policy choice or social arrangement. This page deals with property as ownership rights. ... Capital goods, in contrast to consumer goods, are goods used in the production of (physical) capital. ... The means of production are physical, non-human, inputs used in production. ... The term straw man or man of straw can have many different meanings. ... Look up Shibboleth in Wiktionary, the free dictionary For the Internet2 research project, see Shibboleth (Internet2). ...

With all the above in mind, this article aims to classify political ideologies according to their relationship with capitalism as they define it.

Political ideologie identified with capitalism

• Libertarianis', which can be considered a branch of classical liberalism, defends a capitalist free market with minimal state intervention. (See laissez-faire.) Minarchist libertarians see the role for government in the economy as solely defending the property rights of the participants against violence, theft, fraud, and damages such as pollution.

• Anarcho-capitalism sees no role for government whatsoever. They believe that all government functions, including physical security and the adjudication of commercial disputes, will be better achieved by market mechanisms, such as mercenary armies and private arbitration.

• Objectivism argues that capitalism is a social system based on the protection of individual rights, especially property rights, including the private ownership of resources or capital. It further argues that free markets are created by the rational actions of free men who act within the bounds of their unalienable, and rationally derived, rights.

• Conservatism varies depending between countries in its specific stances. In Western nations, conservatives often defend the status quo of capitalist practices. These are often called business conservatives. Many people who call themselves politically conservative, however, prefer a government-regulated capitalism (sometimes called "mercantilism") over free-market capitalism. According to them, free-market capitalism disrupts traditional ways of life and what they often call "family values". Thus, others might classify conservatives as being in favor of a mixed economy.

• Liberalism. Because of the broad application of the word, not every "liberal" party makes support for unrestricted laissez-faire capitalism part of its ideology. However, most liberal parties over the course of the 20th century, have made the continuance of capitalism a primary objective, and have made free trade a centerpiece of their economic programs. In many contexts liberalism is synonymous with reduction in regulations, trade barriers and state monopolization, and liberalization is defined as the political and economic process of accomplishing these goals. Again the applicability is context dependent.

The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... Laissez-faire is short for laissez faire, laissez passer, a French phrase meaning to let things alone, let them pass. First used by the eighteenth century Physiocrats as an injunction against government interference with trade, it is now used as a synonym for strict free market economics. ... In civics, Minarchism, sometimes called minimal statism, is the view that government should be as small as possible. ... Anarcho-capitalism refers to an anti-statist philosophy that embraces capitalism as one of its foundational principles. ... A mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare primarily for private gain, usually with little regard for ideological, national or political considerations. ... Arbitration is a form of mediation or conciliation, where the mediating party is given power by the disputant parties to settle the dispute by making a finding. ... Objectivism is the philosophical system developed by Russian-born American philosopher and writer Ayn Rand. ... In philosophy, the word rationality has been used to describe numerous religious and philosophical theories, especially those concerned with truth, reason, and knowledge. ... For the direction right, see left and right or starboard. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... This article discusses liberalism as a major political ideology as it developed and stands currently. ... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ... This article discusses liberalism as a major political ideology as it developed and stands currently. ... In general, liberalization refers to a relaxation of previous government restrictions, usually in areas of social or economic policy. ...

Political ideologies identified with a mixed economy

• Mercantilism defends a mostly free market within the nation, but proposes state intervention to protect domestic commerce and industries against foreign competition. See also protectionism, and in opposition, free trade, and crony capitalism. Business corporations have frequently favored forms of mercantilism, under which the state supports domestic business against foreign interests. Depending on one's definition of capitalism, mercantilism may be seen as entirely capitalist, partially capitalist or even not capitalist at all. However, many capitalist nations engage in mercantilist policies from time to time. Modern Japanese capitalism after World War II might be seen as capitalist mercantilism, while the European mercantilism of the period before 1600 or so has been seen by some economic historians as being pre-capitalist.

• Dirigisme defends a mostly free market within the nation, but proposes state intervention so as to direct industry into areas of higher priority, or so as to make it more efficient.

• Social democracy argues for extensive state regulation and partial intervention in an otherwise capitalist economy. Social democrats occupy a position between socialists and classical liberals with regards to economic matters. They see a need for government to regulate employment, trade, and labor, and sometimes favor nationalization of certain industries. This view is also held by some liberal parties, particularly in regard to natural monopolies and public goods. See also welfare state. A prime modern-day example of a social democratic state is Sweden and its neighboring Scandinavian countries, which practice regulated capitalism but provide extensive government benefits for their respective populations.

• Distributism desires an economy with private property and with almost all people possessing a means of production. This would take place in for example a country of subsistence farmers. In a distributist economy, laws would be made to restrict large corporations from taking over. Distributists favor achieving these goals not primarily through government regulation, but firstly through grass roots efforts and collaboration.

• A war economy is one in which economic factors have been regulated and organized according to the logic of a military buildup or conflict. A measure of centralized planning is introduced for the purpose of directing resources toward sectors which will support the war effort. Examples include the rationing of certain foods and materials, introducing price controls, commandeering use of key materials for production of arms, materiel, tanks, ships, airplanes, etc. Censorship of strategic information and dissent is another common feature. See also: Militarism.

• Corporatism is a third-way economic and political system in which legislative power is given to civic assemblies that represent economic, industrial, agrarian, and professional groups. Unlike pluralism, in which many groups must compete for control of the state, in corporatism, certain unelected bodies take a critical role in the decision-making process. These corporatist assemblies are not the same as contemporary business corporations or incorporated groups. Corporatism was adopted as the basis for some Fascist economic thought, especially in Mussolini's Italy.

A painting of a French seaport from 1638, at the height of mercantilism. ... Protectionism is the economic policy of protecting a nations manufacturing base from the effects of foreign competition (such as including Dumping) by means of high tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and other means of reducing importation. ... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ... Crony capitalism or crapitalism is a pejorative term describing a capitalist economy in which success in business depends on an extremely close relationship between the businessman and the state institutions of politics and government, rather than by the espoused equitable concepts of the free market, open competition, and economic liberalism. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII or World War Two), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the... A painting of a French seaport from 1638, at the height of mercantilism. ... Dirigisme (from the French) (in English also dirigism although per the OED both spellings are used) is an economic term designating an economy where the government exerts strong directive influence. ... Social democracy is a political ideology emerging in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from supporters of Marxism who believed that the transition to a socialist society could be achieved through democratic evolutionary rather than revolutionary means. ... Nationalization or Nationalisation is the act of taking assets into state ownership. ... This article discusses liberalism as a major political ideology as it developed and stands currently. ... In economics, a public good is a good that is hard or even impossible to produce for private profit, because the market fails to account for its large beneficial externalities. ... There are three main interpretations of the idea of a welfare state: the provision of welfare services by the state. ... Scandinavia, Fennoscandia, and the Kola Peninsula. ... Distributism, also known as distributionism and distributivism, is an anti-capitalist economic philosophy formulated by such Catholic thinkers as G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc to apply the principles of social justice theoretically articulated by the Roman Catholic Church. ... War economy is the term used to describe the contingencies undertaken by the modern state to mobilize its economy for war production. ... A planned economy is an economic system in which economic decisions are made by centralized planners who determine what sorts of goods and services to produce and how they are to be priced and allocated, and may include state ownership of the means of production. ... Rationing is the controlled distribution of resources and scarce goods or services: it restricts how much people are allowed to buy or consume. ... In economics, incomes policies are wage and price controls used to fight inflation. ... Materiel (from the French for material) is the equipment and supplies in Military and commercial supply chain management. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and appeal to a wider international audience, this article may require cleanup. ... Militarism or militarist ideology is the doctrinal view of a society as being best served (or more efficient) when it is governed or guided by concepts embodied in the culture, doctrine, system, or people of the military. ... Historically, corporatism or corporativism (Italian corporativismo) is a political system in which legislative power is given to civic assemblies that represent economic, industrial, agrarian, and professional groups. ... The Third Way is a centrist philosophy of governance that, at least from a traditional social democratic perspective, usually stands for deregulation, decentralisation and lower taxes. ... Benito Mussolini created a fascist state through the use of propaganda, total control of the media and disassembly of the working democratic government. ...

Political ideologies opposing capitalism

• Socialism argues for public control of the economy, under a more extensive kind of democracy than is usually seen in capitalism. Areas of private ownership may remain in certain sectors (such as small businesses) under socialism, but most economic sectors are run by the state for the benefit of the populace at large. In particular, the state is to control the "commanding heights" of the economy, such as the banking system and the major industries.

• Communism goes further in the direction of government and/or social control of production, and calls for the overthrow, democratically or by revolution, of the capitalist system and the establishment of public ownership of the means of production. Communists advocate socialism, but only as the first stage towards the establishment of a stateless and classless economy.

• Libertarian socialism argues for collective control of the economy without the need for a state.

• Anarchism strives for the immediate abolition of both the state and private property, and the establishment of a communal society quite similar to the one advocated by communists as their final goal (but in contrast to the communists, anarchists oppose the idea of a transitional socialist stage).