Transcripts For CSPAN3 Rainer 20240703

Print. Were joined by reiner. This book in defense of capitalism. Mr. Seidelman, why does capitalism need a defense . Because capital is under attack all around the world in china, in latin america, in europe and, in the United States. And i have one chapter where the paul the image of capitalism. And in most of the countries capitalism has a negative very negative image. And there are a lot of myths about capitalism. And this is the reason why i wrote this book. Capitalism hasnt always been under attack in europe and the u. S. , as is this new. Its not new, but its much more than it was. For example, 30 years ago, because after the breakdown of socialism a lot of people understood planned economy, not work. Free market economy works. This was in the nineties we had free market reforms in a lot of countries. We had even in the eighties ronald reagan, Maggie Thatcher and not to forget Deng Xiaoping in in a lot of countries, we had free market reforms. And today, if you look in china with china shipping, they go back to less markets. Most state. The other direction then was with things dropping in latin america. Even in chile, they voted for a socialist. And everywhere a colombia, venezuela, of course. And peru. Everywhere in latin america. You this, you know, and anti capitalist governments in europe where you go more and, more especially germany, which i come from the direction a planned economy they dont call it a planned economy, but it is. And in the United States, i dont have to tell what joe biden does here. Its i some months ago, the index of Economic Freedom was, published by the heritage foundation. Its ranking how economically and free countries all over the world. With switzerland, singapore at the top and north korea, venezuela, cuba at bottom. And the United States had the worst ranking since they started in 1995. Now, 16 European Countries greece, according to this index, are more economic free than the United States. And this doesnt mean that its great in europe on contrary. But so you see this is the reason why throwing pardon to different capitals do you think its because some of the negative effects of capitalism have happened, such as income inequality, that we are more regulated. No, i dont think so, because the last decades were the best in the world for capitalism. I would give you some numbers. You find them all to improve, to years ago before capitalism. 90 of worldwide population. 53 poverty. Today its less than 9 . But now more important, half of this reduction happened over the last decades. Even in 1981, 43 of the worldwide population lifting three in poverty, 43 in 2000 was then 27 . Now its less 9 . So, of course, if you think about inequality. This is a different story. But think we should make poverty to our. Inequality is a topic for ambitious people. I think we should all care about poverty. And if youre speaking about poverty, its a its a great time all over the world. Whats whats happened there in the last decades . No, the problem is that the people should defend capitalism, that they are very bad. Thats what they should do. I think the anticapitalist are much better in marketing, in poppy creation than we are. They won the battle because they are much in marketing. What about when it comes to Climate Change . Has capitalism contributed to Climate Change . Yes. This is a new year. I know some. They even dont believe in existence of Climate Change either. Believe. Lets assume. Climate change is the reality. Thats true. Its manmade. Even then, a planned economy will not solve any problem. And i will tell you why. If you compare east and west, its good to compare the same country, same people, the same language, the same history, only different economic system, co2 emissions in east germany were three times higher. Trust. Are totally deeper than in capitalist west germany. Three times higher. Not only this proper also other environmental problems. For example airport airborne pollution and like sulfur dioxide ten times higher in germany. So planned economy had never solved problem in history and especially not with the environ meant the worst environmental problems were in soviet union and in this country. So its a crazy idea that planned economy can solve any problems with the environment. Quote from your book in europe or the United States. The debate about the most effective methods to poverty, hunger child labor and other problems has come to be dominated by naive ideals. Naive ideas such as what . Yes. Such as the moral regulate them, the better it is. And if this would be true, then there are systems in soviet union. Each child would have been the best economic system. And this what they believe. I think that i think that need some regulation in a state. But what they believe now know of the i would make it too easy. Whats the difference . A planned economy and a free economy in the free market . Companies, entrepreneurs decide what to produce in the and consumers decision agree. Yes and then in a planned economy politician and government officials decide what is produced. This is what happens europe. This is what happens in the United States. Now, for example, if they forbid combustion engines, for an example in of consumers, politicians or government officials who think they are smarter than millions of consumers, they want to make the decision. And i call this a planned economy. Even if they give different name this but it is a planned economy. Besides writing books, writers, what else do you do in berlin . Oh, im not sure often berlin, to be honest, in this year and last year, because last year ive been in 17 countries this year in the art world, but i will travel to much more because i promise i will go to country where the book is published and learn something about the country. My last trip was in south korea and mongolia, i had. So what i do instead, what i dont write books are you know, i do my work out here. This is theres this right now your former Senior Editor developed there. Did i say that correctly. Yes. Which what . This is one of the leading. Newspapers in germany. Yes. I first started as historian at the Free University of. I wrote my first doctoral dissertation. It was about or the book is published now english hitlers National Socialist about hitlers economy ideas. This was my first doctoral dissertation and then after this years editor its a free universe of. I was at this newspaper and then i was an entrepreneur for 15 years i founded my own company was a population and we became number one Market Leader in germany. The real estate industry. And but i sold it. My Company Seven years ago. And now i write every year one new book. And so hopefully youre at the next free depressed we can talk about next book. Go back to your doctoral dissertation. What was your conclusion . My conclusion was that hitler was much more anticapitalist. Most people think he didnt believe in a free market economy. Your boss . Not a socialist in the old way to nationalize everything. He didnt believe nationalizing every nationalized everything but his philosophy was like this way. Hes had a good speech, retell the companys to do what to produce. And if do so. We are happy with this. If not, we will force them to do it all. Well do it by ourselves. We would nationalize so this was more or less his philosophy. You talk about socialism in your newest book in defense capitalism as a quasi political religion. Yes, exactly. Its not based on facts. And this is a proper you know, i wrote a book about facts, but have you ever tried to discuss with a believer a strong believer and give him some facts . No its its hard because and he kept anticapitalism issomething like a college or like a like religion in a way. And its its hard to convince people i have already the facts. This is this is a problem. Of course we need the facts. But i you one thing. Three months ago, i was with my girlfriend increased a book was published and there was a an accident two weeks before 50 people were killed and there were protesters across. They blamed capitalism. Capitalism is responsible for everything. Also for this. Then i watched from our hotel, saw this protesters and half of the times they sang beautiful songs. I couldnt understand them, but very, you know, touched your heart. And then i said to my girlfriend, look at this, people, that this is a problem i have the facts. They have the and this is this is a this is the problem. And so this why why us . But maybe i add something. I didnt write the book to convince anticapitalists. I an interview two weeks ago and someone asked me do you believe you can convince anticapitalist . My answer was no, i dont believe that. Why do you write a book when you dont believe you can convince them that . Because i know they will not read it. They will not buy. I know it for sure. They prefer to buy book number 35. Why cap christmas evil than to read only one book like this . I see it sometimes on the internet. If i post something a book, its all wrong, its all. Its all yes. Then i ask for one question. Have you read the book . No. I would never read a book like this. So they were not read the book. I wrote the book for people who are pro capitalism, pro free market, but they dont have all the arguments, all the facts. And in my book, no, the first review and show insomnia, someone wrote seidelman i use a fanatic of facts and i saw it a compliment because in the book you have 900 footnotes in the bibliography will see 360 scientific books and papers not. Everyone is abreast to read this. All the 360 books, you dont have to read it. Only my book. And then i you, anyone can win any discussion with any anticapitalist if you dont have to read the whole book. If you have a discussion about Climate Change. Read chapter three. If you have a discussion about inequality, you read chapter two, you will have all the facts. And this is what i hope and this is the reason why, you know, i i am so happy that this book is published in the nordic countries because i will give it like a tool for all, all people who are pro free market to if they have discussions with anticapitalists who is Thomas Piketty and have you ever debated. No. I would love to debate with him. Hes a very famous french economist, leaning french economist. I read his books. I dont know whether he read my books, but i love to debate with him because for him, he says in his book that a capital in the 21st century that he speaks about inequality. You my priority is poverty. His priorities inequality and what he writes in book is that in the longest of the 20th century, we saw reduction of inner because the first world war. The Second World War but then the time for him begins in 1990. Then you start in 1994. The gap between, the rich and the poorer becomes, wider, wide all over the world but i mentioned before this exactly the same years, decades where the best times for the doctrine poverty in the history of mankind. I will give you one example. China, 1981, 88 of people in china lived extreme poverty, 88 with aids, less than 1 . Why . Because things now people started with private free market reform in china. And i no. One, i was in china several times who told me, oh, thats better. I go back to my time because we were all equal of vietnam the same story. Vietnam was a poor country in the world, 90, 90, the poorest country in the world. And today, of course, the inequality is high. They have some billionaires today in vietnam. And i was there several times. I found no one who told me, lets back to the nineties because were more equal. Now inequality this topic is something for ambitious people. We should care about poverty. But this is a priority. Thomas piketty i would love to discuss with him. Of course i had the discussion now with the most famous anticapitalist in germany name is rebecca. How about and wrote a book what is a best seller and how many of the title is the end of capitalism . And what she says in her book, what she says we have to abolish capitalism. We have to choose a planned economy in our country. We to forbid driving cars for it to fly. No one should be allowed to eat more than 2500 calories the day because of Climate Change and this. But its not the outsider you can see almost every evening in germany talk shows. She is very popular. I had a discussion with her and theres this crazy because a planned economy never solved any problem in the history of mankind. There are 24 experiments with anti capitalist systems in the last century, and they failed without any exception. And the problem is, after they fail, they tell you also always, oh, sorry, this wasnt real social. Next time it will work. It will be better. Last time. They told you this was about venezuela. Venezuela was 1971 of the 20 richest countries in the world one of the 20 richest countries. Then started with labor market regulate. More regulation, more regulation situation became worse. And then they made one big mistake. They for hugo chavez to make the situation better in 1998. And what happened to you started with nationalization and so today in venezuela, 10 of the population has fled and the well, some years ago, 1,000,000 people are starvation, democracy democracy. It was abolished. No freedom speech, no freedom of press and in the end of the nineties socialists all over the world, especially also in the United States and europe, were enthusiastic about venezuela. They called socialism in 24 hours. And true now they a new model because north korea was so attractive for most of the people and they spoke out. And now if you ask the same people whats about to socialism in the 21st century . Oh no, this wasnt real socialism, but next time it will run for sure. Reiner do you write in the original german or do write the English Versions as well . No, no, i cant write. See, my english is not true so, so good that i could write in english. Im writing in german language, but i have a translator who works for me. Yes, native speaker from the uk, but i check word by word sentence processing to discuss it with him. And because the english edition is much more important and the one and i can tell you why all the other translations in all other language, they do it from the english russian. And if the english us is wrong, it will be wrong in spain and in korea and all around the world. So i check we wrote i wrote my is good enough to check exactly its correct or not but to to write. No, i, i had one experience when i was the 30 year old. I published a book about the National Socialist elite. Um, this was after i wrote a book about hitler and all people who wrote for this book, historians, especially from the states, from uk, from other and they, they spoke better than i speak english. If you spoke with him so you thought its perfect they could write it in german because all of the day they deal with the german from history. And then i was asked everyone to write this 20 pages. I, i had to change every sentence because they had not the feeling for the language. Yes, i think its very difficult. Maybe if you live for a time you lived for five or ten years in another country. But for me, the longest time ever spent in the English Speaking country was months. And my talent is not from language years. I was spent at the school of mathematics, so about 1948. So im happy that i can have the interview now with you and people understand me in spite of my charm accent, i can guarantee you who can understand me in spite of my charm accent, its much more likely you will understand this book because is without any charm is the English Version. Most important . Yes, because they translate it for all the other languages from the English Version. For example, if you translate the book in korea or in in for example in spain they use the English Version and not the German Version because much more expansive, you know, for example, they pay there are more insurance, they pay three times more for translation, china to korea, for example, than from. And so they take the english russian. This is important with this 26th book to seven shortly in defense capitalism. Reiner zalman, thank you for your time on tv. Thank you