According to Milton Friedman, how are capitalism and freedom related?

9 important questions on According to Milton Friedman, how are capitalism and freedom related?

Give a one-sentence exam answer on the link between capitalism and freedom.

For Friedman, capitalism underpins freedom because economic freedom is both one dimension of being free and the main way to prevent the state from concentrating all power and destroying political liberty.

Give a simple example that shows how capitalism protects freedom.

If your government dislikes your views and pressures your employer to fire you, in a market economy you can often find another job with a different employer. In a state-run economy, the state is basically your only employer, so losing your job means losing everything → much easier to control you.

What key benefit does Friedman see in competitive capitalism for freedom?

Competitive capitalism separates economic power from political power and disperses economic power among many firms and individuals, so no single authority dominates everything.
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Why does Friedman think a fully socialist (planned) economy is dangerous for freedom?

Because it concentrates economic and political power in the same hands (the state). If the same authority controls both politics and the whole economy, it can easily silence or punish opposition.

Is capitalism enough by itself to guarantee political freedom?

No. Capitalism is necessary but not sufficient.
  • You can have capitalism without full political freedom (e.g. dictatorships with markets).
  • But you cannot have stable political freedom without some form of market economy.

How does economic freedom help protect political freedom?

It spreads economic power across many private actors, so the government does not control everyone’s job and income. That separation makes it harder for the state to punish dissenters.

What is Friedman’s main claim about capitalism and freedom?

There is an intimate connection between them:
  • Economic freedom is a part of individual freedom.
  • Economic freedom is also a necessary condition for political freedom.

How is economic freedom itself a kind of freedom?

t’s the freedom to choose your job, spend your money, enter contracts, and trade voluntarily.
If the state controls these choices, you are less free, even if you can still vote.

What are the two roles economic freedom plays for Friedman?

  • It is a component of freedom itself (one way we are free).
  • It is an indispensable means to protect political freedom.
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