I actually favor a form of analysis that could be described as Marxist except it is pro-capitalist rather then pro-communist (ergo, it is more precisely what would be the form of analysis if Karl Marx and Ayn Rand somehow managed to write a manifesto together
).
The concept: There are three forms of political/economic systems:
-Primitive (hunter-gatherers taking from the land, run by chieftains). Examples would include most aboriginal tribes.
-Feudal (chiefly agricultural although there are exceptions, many if not most people are servitors providing wealth to be re-distributed among a set group, run by a complex and usually fairly rigid structure [ie a 'feudal' type government, religious order, or political party]. 18th century Japan, the Soviet Union, and Taliban-era Afghanistan are all examples.
-Capitalist-Democratic (agricultural/industrial, people rise and fall via competition, run by a government that is usually elected). Examples of his are almost non-existant in entirety, the United States is relatively close among nations.
Socialism, in my view, is a sort of twisted feudalism.
