ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Capitalist peace

Capitalist peace is a term used to describe a theory that suggests capitalist societies are less likely to go to war with one another. To understand this theory, you need to know what capitalism is.

Capitalism is an economic system where people can own property and businesses. In a capitalist system, individuals and companies are free to trade and exchange goods and services in a free market without government interference.

The idea behind capitalist peace is that when countries become more capitalist, they become less likely to go to war with each other. This is because when countries are more capitalist, they have more economic ties and relationships with each other. These relationships mean that war would be costly and disruptive to their economies.

For example, if two countries are both rich in oil, but they decide to go to war, they would both lose a lot of money and may not be able to meet the demand for oil when they need it.

Another reason capitalist countries may be less likely to go to war is that they have more to gain from trade than from war. When countries trade with each other, they share resources and technologies that can benefit both countries. This makes it more worthwhile to work together than to fight against each other.

So, to sum up, capitalist peace is a theory that suggests capitalist societies are less likely to go to war with one another because they have more economic ties and relationships, and they have more to gain from trade than war.