Econ 160 Term Paper Part 1
Ronny Bejar
Econ 160
Fall 2014
Introduction.
Personal freedom and capitalism go hand-in-hand in America’s rise to economic power. As Friedman (1980) states you cannot have political freedom without economic freedom and by allowing one you provide the opportunity for the other to flourish(p. 2). Early in the history of the United States, the government allowed the market to operate freely and followed The Do Nothing Policy to produce both economic prosperity and freedom for her citizens. By allowing this system to work naturally within the United States, they created a golden age of economics and for a time stood unrivaled at the top. That is until recently China has taken the throne with its ability to ignore political freedom and have economic freedom. As of this year China has surpassed the the United States in GDP by 0.2%, making it the number one economy of the world (Bird, 2014). It is not surprising a country like China would be able to surpass the United States when you look at its raw labor force that it stands on, however it is surprising when compared to the ideas of the Friedman(1980) in that capitalism will bring with it personal freedom. China is a communist country where many of the rights of the people are ignored or even trampled over without a second thought by the controlling party. Much like the other countries bathed in violence and oppressive dictatorships, China should have been not be this successful. Many countries
Nations have debated on which economic direction their country will direct its footsteps since the creation of societies. The United States, being one of the most stereotypical capitalistic nations, began as a Laissez-faire nation, but throughout the centuries America’s economic standpoint has shifted more into Socialism rather than Laissez-faire. The second largest economy in the world, China, is widely understood as being a socialist country, however, for the past years they have been inclined towards a more capitalist nation, but are still officially socialist. Socialism and Laissez-faire both have fatal flaws, but both concepts can be blended and pragmatic to the new millennium while having a positive future.
Imagine. Imagine having the continuous feeling of needing to act a certain way because that is what the government wants. Imagine having to worship in an underground church because of belonging to the "wrong" religion. Imagine being blind and not being able to learn because the government cannot accept a disability. Lastly, imagine being killed because of simply disagreeing. This is everyday life in China for many people because of what the Communist Chinese government has caused for decades. Human Rights Abuse in China has caused millions of deaths and permanent injuries. In 1979, the One Child Policy was created and ever since then the abuse has escalated into being a normal part of lives. On June 4 1989, the government took the abuse to a whole other level. This fateful day was called the Tiananmen Square crackdown. This was the day of millions of deaths. China's government truly takes human rights violations to an extreme and has caused fear among their people. The government has previously claimed
In 1949 china was under the expression of a communist state. The regime of china was set up in similarity to the regime of Vladimir Lenin in the Soviet Union. Mao Zedong was part of the communist party. He followed the vision of Karl Marx, by envisioning a society under his regime that all shared equal prosperity and communism. In order to bring this vision to reality, he wanted to eliminate all capitalism and its emphasis on property rights, profits, and free-market competition. In the 1950’s in the rural of china, Mao banned free markets, which involved peasants selling farm products. However the trade of capitalism still existed through the private enterprise of remnants. Mao was dissatisfied with the outcomes towards an economy of Marxism. So he strived for a stronger approach by coming up with the Great Leap Forward. However, after the intense economic development that china had suffered from the great leap forward, it left millions of individuals throughout china suffering from the masses and deaths from the collapse of the food system. Because of the major consequences that were suffered from this approach it was unable to be left unnoticed. So, in 1960 after Moa Zedong declined all responsibility towards the disaster from the Great Leap Forward, Lui Shao-chi and Deng Xiaoping were left to rectify and administer the crisis. However, their attempt to repair the economic damages towards china, only led to the reverse of Mao’s earlier policies. That were
In time, China was hoped to find that social and political freedom is the only basis of that greatness. The United States has helped nurture this change by cooperating with China where possible, without allowing the differences that do exist, such as human rights, and nonproliferation commitments to interfere.
The United States has been known as the “Land of the Free,” “Land of the brave,” and many more other referral words that make it a great nation. It is known from history as the land where everyone is welcome and can make great life. The history of the United States is profound with its rise to the top as the country that is most powerful after the fall of European giants. The opportunities that the land offered to its settlers have continued to be felt till date. But of importance is the freedom from tyranny that America offers its citizens. Culminated in the Constitution is the fact that the country takes seriously individual liberty and this can be seen through important events in the past (Farber & Sherry,
Freedom is something that everybody wants, it has been fought for by many countries for many years. When I think about freedom I think of all the things that we have the ability to do that other countries or other societies don’t have. From wing able to voice our opinion to being able to go see a movie like dead pool or other movies like that, which, in many countries seeing it wouldn't even be an option. Freedom is in everything, we live and breathe freedom.
American capitalism is the foundation by which economic growth has propelled the U.S. economy to be a powerhouse. A system based on free enterprise and the “ sweat of our brows”, it establishes the notion that it is a progressive step in equality and is detached from past economic systems. If one were to look closer, however, it becomes apparent that capitalism is not much of a far cry from feudalism in medieval europe. The lack of social mobility fueled by income inequality is what drives this idea to the foreground since such a practice was seen in many european nations in the medieval ages. This paper seeks to argue that contemporary American
To close, in addition to granting the fundamental rights to citizens and facilitating change and progress, a constitutional democratic republic also allows for more economic innovation and motivation. As previously mentioned capitalism influences nations in a constructive manner that encourages hard work and individuality. Capitalism is the economic center of a constitutional democratic republic. Its progressive power and economic potential can be seen through China’s economic boost in the late ‘90s to the present day as they began to adopt a capitalist mindset (Coase). Capitalism also embodies the concern for an apathetic citizen population, specifically in the workforce. This issue is the driving concern for socialism in the United States
There are many communities with a capitalist and free economy throughout the world; The United States is a perfect example of a capitalist and almost free economy with a small to hefty amount of government regulation dependent upon the industry and occupations involved. The amount of money in a specific economy varies as the gross domestic product is controlled by an income stream of different variations. Take New Cannan, CT which has a median income of $235,000 per year and Greenwich, CT which has a median income of $195,000 per year per household. These incomes are much higher than the $49,000 per year average income in the United States; housing costs also differ between different areas in Greenwich, CT the median house price is $1,200,000
Capitalism stresses private economic decisions. People are free to decide how they will earn and spend their income. Companies may choose which goods and services to produce and how much to charge for them. They also compete with one another to sell products. Nations whose economies are based on capitalism include the United
As many other countries around the world China has its long history of a struggle for equality and prosperity against tyrants and dictatorships. The establishment of People’s Republic of China in 1949 seemed to have put an end to that struggle for a better life. “The Chinese people have stood up!” declared Mao Tse-tung, the chairman of China’s Communist Party (CPP) – a leading political force in the country for the time. The people were defined as a coalition of four social classes: the workers, the peasants, the petite bourgeoisie and the national-capitalists. The four classes were to be led buy the CPP, as the leader of the working class.
Economic freedom is the freedom that allows anyone to choose how to produce, sell, and use their own resources to their desire. It is significant to the United States economy because it plays a huge role in our society. Economic freedom is the key to our success of greater opportunity and an enhance quality of life. With freedom from government intervention in the production and distribution of goods and services, it can solve the fundamental problem of economics, scarcity, in the U.S economy to satisfy the society’s need and want. Another reason why economic freedom is important because it’s a benefit for the United States economy, the freedom to use our resources to our max desires motivate innovations. For example, in the past we had MP3
Hung’s stated goals are as follows. First, he aims to outline the historical origins of the capitalist boom in China as well as the conditions which predicated said boom. He also names four conceptions against history to explore the global effects of China’s capitalist boom and the limit of that boom. Firstly, he seeks to challenge the notion that China is challenging the United States neoliberal order. Secondly, he examines the belief that the increasing incomes of poor Chinese citizens helps to reverse worldwide income polarization. Thirdly, he analyzes the claim that China’s rise is challenging Western dominion over the world, and is radically altering the world order. Lastly, he plans to evaluate the assertion that China has been emerging as the most powerful driver of growth since the global financial crisis. He plans to devote a single chapter to the refutation of each of these views and explanations of why they overstate the importance of China, in addition to several introductory chapters describing China’s rise. He aims to prove with this work that China is no different than the other major capitalist powers, that its boom is dependent on the global neoliberal order, that its boom contributes to rampant inequality, and, in sum, that China is just a foundation of the capitalist status quo.
American Capitalism Capitalism - "An economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state." America was an ideal breeding ground for capitalism, a relatively new country, in need of young entrepreneurs to kick start it's already buoyant economy. The country was an ideal place to get rich quick, an idea that inspired the immigrants that poured into it each year. In America it seemed you could turn your rags to riches in no time at all.
The fact that free markets are based on a contractual agreement between the buyer and seller with very little government control makes it feasible to consider it to be compatible with individual freedom. (Free Market: 2014) Classical liberals may agree with the objectives of free markets, as they emphasise the importance of individual freedom with limited control of the state. (Hagopian)The counter argument is that when the free market economy is fuelled by profit motives, it sacrifices some ethical and economic issues which can cause severe consequences. (Gerald Hanks: 2014) Modern Liberals argue that although individual freedom is important, coercion can be used as a positive outlook of bettering individuals to the best of their ability.