This contribution aims to address the issues of the origins and evolution of capitalism, while interacting with the contents of Alberto Mingardi’s essay. The advent of capitalism, in its most advanced and defined form, began with the Industrial Revolution, since mercantilism, although founded on a vast accumulation of capital from the deployment of trade, remained constrained to a dimension of simple “expansion”. Industrial capitalism, thanks to the introduction of machines, set in motion a process of “development”, linked to the increase not only of production but also of factor productivity, making it possible to satisfy the needs of a population that was increasing considerably. In this way, there was a transition from an era of scarcity and deprivation to one of abundance and prosperity, albeit marked by considerable inequalities. Europe’s industrial transformation was characterized by a mentality open to innovations and a culture of economic growth, as well as a set of new technologies: thus, the dichotomy between a revolution of ideas in France and a revolution of production in England was bridged. One of the constituent components of capitalism is the market system, but there is no coincidence between these two terms. Modern industry and the capitalist production mechanism represent a central aspect of this system, which cannot, therefore, be identified only with demand and the market, the essential supporting factors of the economic system. The enterprise, as the main institution of the market and the propelling agent of the economy, and the State, as an essential element of coordination and a lever for economic development, especially in situations of crisis or backwardness, are the other two protagonists that need to be considered within the history of capitalism. The capitalist economy is not a “perfect” system, as it features structural limitations and inconsistencies, but it possesses, by acting on its own contradictions, an extraordinary capacity for change and profound reorganization of its growth models. Within this framework, an examination of globalization phenomena can help to understand the evolution of capitalism from its original foundations and to identify the historical perspective in which the countless economic changes happening as of now can be found, a symptom of the advent of a new paradigm.
L’evoluzione del capitalismo, la sua capacità di cambiamento e la definizione di nuovi paradigmi economici
Lepore, A.
2024
Abstract
This contribution aims to address the issues of the origins and evolution of capitalism, while interacting with the contents of Alberto Mingardi’s essay. The advent of capitalism, in its most advanced and defined form, began with the Industrial Revolution, since mercantilism, although founded on a vast accumulation of capital from the deployment of trade, remained constrained to a dimension of simple “expansion”. Industrial capitalism, thanks to the introduction of machines, set in motion a process of “development”, linked to the increase not only of production but also of factor productivity, making it possible to satisfy the needs of a population that was increasing considerably. In this way, there was a transition from an era of scarcity and deprivation to one of abundance and prosperity, albeit marked by considerable inequalities. Europe’s industrial transformation was characterized by a mentality open to innovations and a culture of economic growth, as well as a set of new technologies: thus, the dichotomy between a revolution of ideas in France and a revolution of production in England was bridged. One of the constituent components of capitalism is the market system, but there is no coincidence between these two terms. Modern industry and the capitalist production mechanism represent a central aspect of this system, which cannot, therefore, be identified only with demand and the market, the essential supporting factors of the economic system. The enterprise, as the main institution of the market and the propelling agent of the economy, and the State, as an essential element of coordination and a lever for economic development, especially in situations of crisis or backwardness, are the other two protagonists that need to be considered within the history of capitalism. The capitalist economy is not a “perfect” system, as it features structural limitations and inconsistencies, but it possesses, by acting on its own contradictions, an extraordinary capacity for change and profound reorganization of its growth models. Within this framework, an examination of globalization phenomena can help to understand the evolution of capitalism from its original foundations and to identify the historical perspective in which the countless economic changes happening as of now can be found, a symptom of the advent of a new paradigm.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
