Queen Aline
Queen Aline voted up Shinypate one's answer

When you have more than you need for your own consumption, you have capital. If you can eat 3 apples, but can pick 20, 17 apples are your capital (or profit). You can trade them for something that someone else has excess of, or you can sell them and use the money to improve your … Read more

Queen Aline
Queen Aline voted up Mike Thinks' answer

Capital is defined as the “means of production.”

www.economicsdiscussion.net/factors-of-production/meaning-of

All systems of governance support the means of production (manufacturing, farming, utilities, etc). Therefore, all governments are essentially capitalist. The difference is, ownership of the capital. 

In free market systems the capital is privately owned. On the other end of the … Read more