It is evident some are confusing the terms captialism, communism, socialism, and others.A truer comparison would be to compare communism with democracy. Capitalism is a term used to describe an economic system, while democracy describes a form of government, like communism.
Capitalism encompasses financial dealings, and the way in which entities (called companies, corporations, etc...) operate. This includes the ability of any citizen in a capitalistic economy to enter into the market place, and to operate under the laws of the current governmental system, usually a form of democracy.
On the other hand, a non-capitalistic economy (if you can call it that) is usually found in countries which use the communistic form of government. Here, you are told by the government what kind of job you will have, how much $ you will make, what type of product you will produce, and how much product you will produce. I understand the theory of this form, being that only what is needed by the people is what is produced. This type of system provides the basic elements of human survival: shelter, food, clothing. The problem is, someone besides yourself determines what those items will be, and how much of it you can have.
Moving into the realm of liberal thinking, (I'm going way out on a limb here) it seems to me <= OPINION COMING=> the majority of social advancements have been produced and embraced by democratic and capitalistic societies. Arts, entertainment, pursuit of religous freedom, choice of education sources, entitlement programs, grants, and in the USA, the Bill of Rights (really a list of social and personal freedoms).
Many of the above are strictly forbidden in communist and autocratic forms of government, because they do not provide for the common good (basic needs) of the population.
There have been times in earths history when communistic forms of government were absolutely required, during famines, natural disasters, plagues, etc... because there were no excess goods and/or the means to produce them. In the USA, rationing was implemented during WWII to ensure the armed forces had the materials to defend the USA and most of Europe, along with the Pacific region. I was not alive at the time so I cannot speak of it first hand. However, capitalism activities during the war, even during the ration period, caused an enormous surplus of goods and manufacturing capacity after the which vaulted the USA into its current position in world economy's. The fact that our borders were never crossed by an enemy had a great deal to do with that. Our factories were never destroyed. It would be hard to imagine the USA implementing rationing for any reason now. And yet, other countries, like the former USSR, and N. Korea, are now starving.
How many people in N. Korea are happy to be a part of the Communist Party today?
