Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.
No economic system in history has reduced poverty as effectively as capitalism. Before its global rise about 200 years ago, 90 percent of the world’s population was living in extreme poverty. Today, that number has decreased to less than 9 percent. Conversely, there is not a single example of socialism improving the lives of ordinary people. In fact, over 100 million people have died as a result of socialist experiments, with 45 million perishing during Mao’s ‘Great Leap Forward’ between 1958 and 1962 alone.
The lives of people in China only began to improve when Deng Xiaoping made a radical about-turn, introducing private ownership of the means of production and implementing market economy reforms. His slogan: “Let some get rich first.” As a result, the percentage of the Chinese population living in extreme poverty fell from 88 percent in the early 1980s to less than 1 percent today. A similar transformation occurred in Vietnam, once the poorest country in the world under a socialist planned economy. The introduction of private property and market economy reforms reduced the proportion of the population living in poverty from 80 percent in the early 1990s to 3 percent today.
The introduction of socialism has always led to more poverty, as evidenced by the tragic case of Venezuela. In 1970, Venezuela was ranked among the top 20 wealthiest countries in the world and the richest country in South America. The country’s economic situation began to deteriorate in the 1980s and 1990s due to excessive state regulation, but it only got really bad after the socialist Hugo Chávez came to power at the end of the 1990s. In the early years, his socialist regime benefited from rising oil prices, but when oil prices normalized and Chávez launched a program of nationalizations, the country spiraled into poverty. “Socialism for the 21st Century,” as his supporters called the regime, led to widespread and extreme impoverishment. Presently, 80% of Venezuelans live below the poverty line, and a third of the population has fled the country. Under Chávez’s rule, democracy was abolished along with capitalism, and today what was once the richest country in South America is ruled by a dictatorship that only survives because it is supported by Russia and China.
The number of examples could go on and on. In my book In Defense of Capitalism, I have debunked these myths – for example, that capitalism is responsible for hunger, poverty, environmental destruction, or wars – with a multitude of facts. Even slavery, which lasted for thousands of years and was only abolished by capitalism, is blamed on this economic system.
Given the clarity of the historical facts, it is particularly perplexing to note that capitalism is often blamed for hunger and poverty, while socialism is idealized as a system that embodies “humanity” – at least in terms of the idea. A global survey that I commissioned revealed that the majority of people in 29 out of 35 surveyed countries are anti-capitalist.
Apparently, anti-capitalists are geniuses at marketing and PR, because they have succeeded in portraying a system that has reduced poverty more than any other economic system as “inhumane.”
One of the reasons for this is that pro-capitalists all too often rely on theories and sober facts when they make the case for capitalism. I saw this for myself when I embarked on a world tour in 2022/2023, during which I had many opportunities to get to know the libertarian movement in 30 countries. Incredible people with the right ideas, but they frequently struggle to effectively communicate them to a broader audience.
During my visit to Greece in March 2023, I learned of a tragic incident that occurred just two weeks prior. On February 28, a passenger train collided head-on with a freight train on the line between Athens and Thessaloniki. At least 57 people died, and 14 of the more than 80 injured were still being treated in the hospital at the time of my visit to Greece. It was the worst train accident in the country’s history. Subsequently, a stationmaster who admitted he had failed to divert the trains was arrested and charged.
Absurdly, leftists blamed capitalism, or more precisely the privatization of the railroads, for the accident. The accident could have happened at any time, even in previous years when the rail company was state-owned. Besides, the rail network is still state-owned. But capitalism is even more hated in Greece than in other countries, and the train accident only fueled the existing disdain for capitalism. In Athens, I had a prime view of the parliament from my hotel balcony, and on Sunday, I watched as thousands of leftists waved red flags, demonstrating against capitalism, which they blamed for the deaths of 57 people. I couldn’t understand the speeches, but half the time the demonstrators broke into song. Beautiful, heart-wrenching songs. At that moment, a thought that had been lingering in my mind throughout my trip crystallized. As I watched the protesters, I said to my girlfriend: “Do you see? I explain how capitalism has almost tripled GDP per capita in the last few decades in this or that country. And these people here are singing their beautiful, poignant songs about socialism. Who do you think is more likely to get their message across?”
Personally, I am a big fan of the books by Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich August von Hayek, and Milton Friedman, all of whom have shown theoretically why socialism cannot work.
No champion of the truly free market has sold anywhere near as many books as Ayn Rand. More than 37 million copies of her works have been sold in 38 languages. Her most famous novel, Atlas Shrugged, has racked up more than ten million sales. In comparison, Friedrich August von Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom has sold over two million copies, while Milton Friedman’s Capitalism and Freedom has been bought around one million times. Ayn Rand has sold about ten times as many books as these two great theorists of capitalism.
What was the secret of her incredible success? Unlike the economists Ludwig von Mises, Hayek, or Friedman, she mostly wrote novels. In contrast, her essays and non-fiction works were nowhere near as important. Her influence is not the result of arguments of reason, but rather her ability to appeal to morals and emotions.
The left’s influence stems from their better understanding of the power of emotions. In my book The Rich in Public Opinion, I conducted a systematic analysis of Hollywood films and found the rich were mostly portrayed negatively, as greedy and hard-hearted.
Typically, they are the villains, rarely the heroes. Popular films have a far greater influence on public opinion than any rational arguments in favor of capitalism.
This is especially true for women. In almost all of the countries in which I conducted my survey on perceptions of capitalism, women consistently exhibited a more anti-capitalist stance compared to men. And this tendency is on the rise. In many countries, there is a noticeable divergence in the voting patterns of young people, with young women increasingly leaning towards left-wing parties, while young men are gravitating towards right-wing parties.
This shift is also connected to left-wing parties’ ability to connect with people on an emotional level. I have given talks to libertarian think tanks in 30 countries and, without exception, my audiences were overwhelmingly male – often as many as 90 percent of attendees were men.
After writing 29 non-fiction books – mostly about economics, finance, and politics – I decided to venture into the realm of fiction with the anti-egalitarian novel 2075: When Beauty Became a Crime.
The year is 2075, and the fight for equality has found a new target. A radical egalitarian movement, the “Movement for Optical Justice” (MOVE), has declared war on the unequal distribution of beauty, claiming that beautiful women have too long enjoyed unearned privileges in both their personal and professional lives. Therefore: “Beauty is unjust.”
MOVE increasingly gains influence within the Justice Party and eventually comes to power. Step by step, democracy is transformed into an egalitarian dictatorship. It all starts with the imposition of higher taxes and employment discrimination. However, the radicals eventually prevail with their demands for a surgical procedure to make “uber-beautiful” women, branded as PBs (“Privileged Beauties”), less attractive (“Optical Optimization Therapy”).
This sparks individual drama and turmoil, but it also ignites a fierce resistance. An opposition emerges, drawing support from disparate groups, including the women’s movement, libertarians, and Christian groups. The beautiful student Alexa and the journalist Riven resist the establishment of a totalitarian dictatorship.
In the book, I explore how susceptible people are to egalitarian ideologies and the dynamics of totalitarian movements, which are characterized by increasing radicalization once they are in power. Although the book is a novel, it is based on decades of research and studying totalitarian movements. I didn’t just want to write a new piece; I wanted to encourage other supporters of libertarian ideas to try to reach people on an emotional level in addition to the facts.
While facts are important and remain important, we should take a page from the left’s playbook because they are far better at reaching people emotionally. Leftists are simply better at marketing and PR. There is no other explanation for the fact that they have been able to influence and often even dominate public opinion in so many countries for decades.
DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW
Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!
- Leftists are more adept at marketing their ideas – we should take a leaf out of their playbook - June 17, 2026
- Why space matters - May 5, 2026
- Steve Forbes: “Donald Trump should see this movie.” - June 17, 2025
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
BPR INSIDER COMMENTS
Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!
