WHAT IS NEOLIBERALISM?

Abstract

"Neoliberalism is the new character of the old capitalism", the Brazilian writer Frei Betto writes at the beginning of this essay, in which he critically demystifies the history of this social system which originated in the Middle Ages. It first saw light in the Renaissance and acquired its global hegemonic strength at the start of the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century. This article's explanation of neoliberalism, denouncing its disastrous effects upon global contemporary society, particularly for the poorer classes; contains profound ethical and aesthetic character.