For the past six hundred years a culture and a society, dedicated for the most part to developmentand trade as the ultimate source of well being, began to expand all over the world. In a greatnumber of ways this development, capitalism, became the most successful culture and societyCapitalism ascended as a successful social means. It was successful as it provided amore effective means of creating a surplus.
This was an important feature for mankind. It proved to be an easier and more cost effective means of creating a surplus. Capitalism alsoallowed for the world system to function with their own states. This system of functioningencouraged the international market economy, which in turn established the success ofcapitalism.
Such a market bestowed incentives which increased productivity all over the globe. Simultaneously a world separation of work made it easy for costs and benefits to be unequallyThe effects of such a division of labour were profound. It created a multilayeredeconomic hierarchy. The hierarchies were divided into many sections, with each sector owningit’s own defining feature, and all were linked to one common feature.
This was the exploitationof social classes. The wealthy employed labourers and often underpaid their labourers so thatthey might be able to reap maximum profits. Such racist inequalities and exploitation were usedto justify the hindered commission of the proletariat. The world system continues to undergo a cycle of expansion.
This trend has gained thesupport it requires from the notion that all societies, in order to be successful, need to conform toCapitalism continues to be increasingly effective. This is largely due to the belief the workers hold that the harder they work the more the stand to gain. Such workers also affirmthat it is hard work that will grant them such wealth, often this leads tofrustration, once theworker comes realize they may never reach the status of the elite. Often times myths are used asa method of erasing such beliefs, as they do not address the real problems at hand.
No matterwhat is done it seems there will always be a gap between the rich, or the employers, and theBodley, John. Cultural Anthropology. Mayfield Publishing, Toronto, 2000
