Capitalism, socialism, and imperialism are all government systems that have been utilized by countries of Western society for over two centuries. Since these practices were enforced, Western society as a whole has changed indefinitely. In each of these systems, there were pros and cons involved, for instance, in capitalism, where workers were faced with severe working conditions, but these hardships are what led to a movement of socialism. The negative aspects of imperialism outweighed the benefits, with the new imperialist government planning to take control of other countries to obtain a profit instead of trading goods. All of these factors have molded Western society into what it is and how it functions today.
The concept of capitalism has been in practice since the early 17th century, and since its introduction, the contribution it has made to the development of Western society altered how the world will operate forever.
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The first stages of capitalism date back to the 16th century, when landowners began renting portions of their land for profit in return for people occupying their space. Capitalism became a prominent idea during the Industrial Revolution, but before this time agriculture was the main form of capitalism. With newly introduced and sophisticated tools, the production time of goods was cut from something that would be finished after a few days of labor, to a finished result within hours. For large-scale yet quick production, factories began to spread everywhere, with the founders of these production companies paying workers the lowest wage to gain the largest personal profit. These laborers would not only be receiving a minimal salary but would pay taxes on top of this, in the end gaining little to no money from their hard work. “The rich will do anything for the poor but get off their backs”. This quote from German socialist revolutionary Karls Marx is a relevant example of the mistreatment of factory workers, outlining the selfishness and lack of empathy that these factory owners possessed. The expansion of capitalism also introduced worldwide trading systems. With the heavy spread of factories and the government system of capitalism, the Western World is forever changed.
Socialism had a massive impact on the Western world and also throughout the Industrial Revolution. Socialism is a result of Capitalism, meaning that every human gets equal distribution of goods or money. Before the making of Capitalism, many laborers were working upon free will. They worked more independently, at their own pace and own hours. This all changed in the Industrial Revolution when all the workers were put inside factories and Capitalism was introduced. Socialism is believed to have been founded in the 18th century by many influencers like Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Socialism was a positive turn for the workers, as the working class received more pay, better hours, and control. Throughout all of this, society was split into 2 classes; the middle class and the upper/rich class. Due to the equal distribution of pay, the owners of the factories started to lose money but still were very wealthy. “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.” Another quote from Karls Marx, depicting that even after all of the change from capitalism to socialism, the rich white men always end up on top.
Imperialism is a practice of expanding power and taking control over countries, and it has shaped the Western World with its positive and negative outcomes. Imperialism was the extension of power, and this was achieved by either using military force or weaponry. Imperialism was used way back before the Industrial Revolution in 1450, though not yet a prominent idea, it made a connection throughout countries that allowed many trading systems. Looking back to the past Imperialism, It was all about trading, and making money and less about the domination of others. But later in 1750, the era of the old Imperialism ended from the high costs of taking over the land. When the industrial revolution started in England, a bombardment of change and development came with it. A massive variety of new technology rushed all over the land. People were manufacturing goods in mass quantities and for cheaper. But there was also a backdraft to this. With the consumption of massive natural material, people had to find other places that contained material the factories were looking for “European nations used up many of their natural resources, leading them to conquer other lands.” This led to many European countries using Imperialism. Now with more money and more power, Europe could have even bigger trading systems that can stretch all over the world. Imperialism has played a massive role in changing the maps of the world and how it functions today.
Capitalism, Socialism, and Imperialism are all ideas that changed the whole Western world has been changed drastically. Capitalism taking over with the factories forever changes how people work and earn money. Socialism, being a consequence of capitalism, rose up to change the corrupted system into what it is now. Although the benefits of imperialism were outweighed by the negative impacts, this process helped colonize many countries together into what we now refer to as the Western world. In conclusion, the whole of Western Society has been changed drastically from Capitalism, Socialism, and Imperialism.
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