Modern capitalism was born in the Low Countries (Belgium and the Netherlands).
The nickname that communists give to capitalism is the Anglo-Dutch system.
The English did not take over by being more successful at the game than the Dutch; they actually added something -- political power -- and the UK can therefore be seen as the birthplace of modern nationalism (and to some extent the birthplace of modern fascism).
The British put their Navigation Acts in place, and while this was quickly followed by four Anglo-Dutch wars, the Dutch were not able to break the British barricades. The Dutch wanted a free market for all (including them), and the British simply made the free market their free market. Therefore, money ended up shifting from the Low Countries to the British Isles because the larger cat in control is indeed the cat to follow. The Brits ended up occupying much of the world for three centuries, and their free market caused the emergence of Germany and Italy as nations. The Germans needed lebensraum because the British (and later France) occupied so much of the world, controlling it toward their benefitting from it, there was not the same amount of room for others to do the same.
The United States is ultimately the hero in this story because after WW II it had wised up on the issue and sided with independence of every colony on the planet. Because the imperial nations had to give up on their empires we did not get another reborn Germany going to WW III with occupiers Britain and France. A very smart move by the USA.
The lesson for today is that the UK (and the USA) are still putting pressures on the free world because their voting systems are unfortunately severely restricted voting systems.
In the USA, we have winner-take-all, so a very large minority of voters goes home empty-handed, is not represented. The political elite benefits from fewer people to deal with.
In the UK, it is actually worse, because a plurality is all it takes to win a seat.
In Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain, a 50% majority decision by the government is actually supported by 50% of the voters.
In the US, that is about 30% of all voters. The missing 20% went home empty-handed.
In the UK, that is about 25% of all voters. The missing 25% went home empty-handed.
The political elites in the UK and the USA are still putting their pressures on the world because the voters are not that empowered as voters elsewhere. Naturally, the subsequent socioeconomic and cultural wars don't break out at the home front, but always somewhere else. Yet now we know who is doing the pushing and pulling in the name of their free market. It is better than it was before, but we are still not there yet.
Capitalism is the working horse. It matters greatly who controls the horse.
'Majority Rule'
