Text 20. Human Rights Violations, Imperialism, and Democracy
(Нарушение прав человека, империализм и демократия)

Detractors claim that ills caused by capitalism include imperialism, poverty, oppression exploitation and abuse of human rights. Many of these violations occurred during a time period and in states sometimes considered being more capitalist than today since the government share of the economy was much smaller.

Proponents of capitalism point out that these problems have been widespread through all of human history, including in states characterized as socialist such as in Cambodia under Pol Pot. Some assert that these practices are not consistent with principles of capitalism even though they have existed in nations or in the colonies of nations commonly, or loosely, labeled as capitalist. They deny that many of the colonies had capitalist economic systems and claim that their economies mostly continued to be feudalistic. Instead they emphasize that it was capitalist states that abolished slavery throughout the world and that it was capitalist states who developed the modern democratic system.

The strong economic growth during capitalism may encourage democratization, or vice versa. There is debate about whether liberal democracy, in the sense of electoral rights and civil liberties, is a consequence of economic growth, a cause of it, or completely unrelated to it. These studies tend to indicate that establishing the rule of law in protecting private property and free markets, rather than mere democratization, is what is most instrumental in generating economic growth.

One of the very few studies simultaneously examining the relationship among economic freedom, economic development (measured with GDP/capita), and political freedom found that high economic freedom increases GDP/capita and a high GDP/capita increases economic freedom. A high GDP/capita also increases political freedom but political freedom did not increase GDP/capita. There was no direct relationship either way between economic freedom and political freedom if keeping GDP/capita constant.

One common criticism that Marxists make about Capitalism is that it is only democratic to the Bourgeoisie (the exploitive class that owns the 'means of production') citing examples such as not being able to criticize one's boss out of risk of getting fired and not expressing opinions on TV due to lack of funds to afford a channel.

Marxists also criticize capitalism for needing Imperialism (the exportation of capital to other nations) to survive. Due to Capitalism not being a planned economy it inevitably overproduces commodities and overuse resources. This leads it to expand it markets into and drain the resources out of other nations.