Human history has always been a struggle between power and morality. Sometimes power has trampled on morality, and sometimes moral principles have challenged oppressive systems. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the historical evolution of Europe gave merchants unlimited legal powers, and the unbridled plunder of the resources of Asia and Africa provided the opportunity for the capitalist system to flourish as a force that has captured the world under the guise of slogans of progress, freedom, and humanity.
This system is not just an economic structure, but a complete way of life and ideology that, with the power of dissemination, imperceptibly turns exploitation into a way of life. As a result, millions of people have been deprived of their dignity, resources, land, and lives. Capitalism has created a new history of atrocities around the world in the name of democracy, human rights, and the war on terrorism.
This article examines the rise of capitalism, its tricks, and alternative thinking to deal with it, especially in light of a just economic system, the religion of Islam, which provides the foundation for peace, justice, and economic prosperity for humanity.
The Beginning of Capitalism: From Trade to Domination
Capitalism has its roots in the colonial era before the Industrial Revolution. European powers used trade as a means to gradually establish economic and political dominance over Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Institutions such as the East India Company and the Dutch East India Company initially began plundering local resources in the name of trade, which gradually turned into political dominance.
Colonial Exploitation:
Local industries were destroyed, turning these regions into markets for raw materials and consumers of finished goods. For example, India’s hand-woven textile industry was destroyed by cheap fabrics made with British machinery.
Slavery Economy:
The African slave trade was one of the early fuels of capitalism. Millions of people were forcibly transported to the Americas to increase capitalist profits.
Persistent injustice:
The effects of the colonial era are still visible today in the form of economic backwardness and social inequality in developing countries. This era was the early face of capitalism, where power, resource plunder, and exploitation formed the foundation of this system.
After World War II: The New World Order:
After World War II (1944), the balance of power shifted to the West. During this period, capitalism consolidated its hold through the global financial system.
Bretton Woods system:
The IMF and the World Bank, established in 1944,45 trapped developing countries in a debt trap. These loans were given in the name of development, but the conditions attached to them eroded the autonomy of local economies.
Privatization and structural reforms:
Developing countries were forced to privatize, eliminate subsidies, and weaken workers’ rights. This harmed local industries and farmers, while multinational companies captured these markets. For example, IMF conditions on African and Latin American countries in the 1980s and 1990s destroyed their agricultural economies, increasing hunger and poverty. This system consolidated capitalism as a global structure, which pushed weaker countries into debt bondage.
Cold War: Interests under the guise of ideologies:
(1947-1991) is called the period of ideological war between capitalism and communism, but the real goal behind it was political and economic dominance.
When Iran jammed Starlink signals, cutting off rioters’ contact with the outside world
Capitalist powers intervened around the world to protect their interests:
Iran (1953): American and British intelligence agencies overthrew the elected government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and placed the Shah of Iran in power, because Mossadegh had tried to nationalize the oil industry. Today, America wants to play the same game again.
Latin America:
In Chile, Guatemala, and other countries, leftist governments were overthrown and military dictators were given power, who worked to protect capitalist interests.
Afghanistan (1979-1989):
Western powers supported the mujahideen to counter Soviet influence, which later became a new crisis of terrorism. All these measures were taken in the name of “democracy” and “freedom”, but their consequences were disastrous: civil war, economic collapse, and social chaos.
21st Century: Direct Attacks and Modern Slavery
After 9/11 (2001), capitalism reshaped its aggression in the name of the “war on terror.” During this period, both direct military intervention and indirect exploitation wreaked havoc on the global stage.
Iraq (2003):
Iraq was invaded for oil resources and geographical influence. Millions of civilians were killed and organizations like ISIS were born.
Afghanistan (2001-2021):
The sudden withdrawal after twenty years of American invasion and war in Afghanistan has left the country in chaos and poverty.
Libya (2011):
After the fall of Gaddafi, Libya became a failed state, where slave markets were even established.
Evening:
Civil war was unleashed, killing millions and displacing millions. In addition, drone strikes, economic sanctions, and the use of private military companies introduced new forms of oppression.
Mind Capture:
Media, Education and Culture:
Capitalism’s most dangerous trick is to create mental chaos. It has used cultural, educational, and media resources to distort human consciousness:
Hollywood:
Power was made legitimate and attractive through war films and heroism. In films, American military intervention is always associated with heroism.
Education system:
Competition, careerism, and materialism were promoted. The importance of humanity, morality, and social relationships was pushed to the back burner in the curriculum.
Economic inequality:
Destruction in the guise of progress Capitalism has led to enormous economic inequality, an unfair distribution of wealth, and today 1% of the world’s population controls more than 50% of the wealth. According to a 2023 Oxfam report, the world’s 8 billionaires own as much wealth as half the world’s population.
Poverty and hunger:
According to the United Nations, more than 800 million people suffer from hunger. The capitalist system prioritizes profit, not humanity.
The need and importance of system awareness
The existing capitalist system has subjected the world to exploitation, inequality, and destruction in the name of development.
Today, we need to become aware of systems and work towards creating a system that is based on justice, economic prosperity and peace. Islamic economic teachings offer a viable alternative solution that makes man a steward of resources. It is time for us to move away from the artificial atmosphere of false promises of capitalism and towards a just, natural and welfare system.
