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1.Doctrinaldiscussions
thestronginfluenceofJohnMaynardKeynes,assertedtheneedtocre-
ateademocraticcapitalism“withoutcapitalists,privatepropertyorprofit
domination”.
Unquestionably,thewritingsofKeyneswereakeysourceofinspirationfor
theliberalmovement.However,itisalsoimportanttostressthattheyounger
generationofthinkersassociatedwiththismovementwerealsostrongly
influencedbyThorsteinVeblen,theauthorofTheTheoryoftheLeisure
ClassandafiercecriticoftheAmericaneconomicsystemofthe1920s.
Berle,whoforseveralyearshadbeenaneconomicadvisortoPresident
FranklinD.Roosevelt(andinthe1960salsotoPresidentJohnF.Kennedy),
stronglysupportedpracticalstateinterventionism.However,itwasnotuntil
the1950sandthe1960sthatheturnedthe1930seconomicconceptsinto
aneconomicprogrammeof“people’scapitalism”.
TheessenceofBerle’sdoctrinewastobringallsocialgroupstogether
throughcommoninterests,byprovidingincometoworkersnotonlyinthe
formofremunerationfortheworktheyweredoing,butalsoasashare
inownership.In1934,togetherwithG.C.Means,Berlepresentedhiscriti-
cismofmonopolies;init,Berlepostulatedtheneedtosocialiseanddis-
tributeproperty,whichwoulddepriveitsownersoftheiruncontrollable
power.Incidentally,1934wasalsotheyearthattheeconomicprogrammes
bytwopreviouslymentionedPolishnationalistthinkers,RomanRybarski
andAdamDoboszyński,werepublished.
TheinterestintheideasofAmericanneoliberalswasrevivedinthelate
1950s.Atthattime,theprocessofthedemocratisationofconcentrated
propertywasinitiated.Itbroughtaboutamassiveincreaseinthenumber
ofshareholders(i.e.co-owners)andadecreaseintheexcessiveincomedis-
crepancieswithinAmericansociety.ForBerle,justlikeforordoliberals,
thedecentralisationofproduction(thatisthedeconcentrationofindustry)
anddemonopolisationwerethemainconditionsfortheexistenceofamarket
economy.Andyet,whilecriticisingtheexcessiveconcentrationofproperty
andpoliticalpowerintheUnitedStates,Berledidnotrelyontheexisting
bodyofEuropeaneconomicthought,especiallyThomismorneo-Thomism,
nordidheevenrefertoit.
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